Age of the Empire: The Shukumei Trilogy
by Goku Girl
Summary: The Destiny trilogy is about what measures people take to regain what has been lost. Each story is complete.
1. Ghosts from the Past: Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Standard ones apply. 

**Author's Note:** Several things have been altered from the Dragon Ball Z original from the day of Vegeta's destruction. Most of the takes place in the Bardock Special (or Bardock: Father of Goku as the dub is called), but you don't have to see it first since I pretty much recap it. This basic story of the "empire" series remains the same as the other two before(if you remember versions 1 & 2 of this story entitled The New Age Empire). Oh, also all flashbacks are in _italics_.

**A Note About My Titles:** The entire saga is called "Age of the Empire". There are probably going to be three trilogies within the entire thing and the first one's called "Shukumei", or destiny. The name of this story (which is part one of the first trilogy) is "Ghosts from the Past". Is anyone still confused? No? Good.

**Warnings:** Profanity, graphic violence, death, mature subject matter, one instance of non-consensual sex, and pathetic descriptions of things related to outer space. Reader discretion is advised. I really don't consider alternate universe a warning, but this fanfic is 99.9 A/U. While based from the original series, things have been changed. There is also a special Vegeta angst/torture warning. He will be both physically and emotionally harmed so if you are unable to handle that, I suggest you read another fanfic.

**Acknowledgements:** A big domo arigatou to Madoka for catching all of my goofy mistakes as my beta reader and G-Kun Son for giving me advice. I also want to thank all of the reviewers and the people who took time to read this fic.

** Annoucement #1 (11-25-02):** Ghosts from the Past is an award-winning fanfic! Check out my awards page on the Suto-ri Denkaku (see my profile for the URL).

**Revision Note:** I looked over this again from 11-3-04 through 11-6-04.

**Summary:** Vegeta-sei is destroyed and its survivors scattered throughout the universe. One man seeks his lost people, in addition to his lost son, but there is little hope that they will be found. During his search, an evil alien stumbles upon his ship and does everything he can, trying to ensure that the Saiya-jin never succeed.

* * *

**Age of the Empire**

**_The First Tale of Shukumei: Ghosts From the Past_   
Chapter 1**

  
Planet Vegeta's destruction had been predicted long before the actual deed had been done. The ruler, King Vegeta, had been warned over and over again by his senior advisors about the dangers an alliance with Furiza would eventually bring. It was just too risky to conduct any sort of business with the Changeling. His most trusted advisors had done nearly everything underneath the sun to make Vegeta see reason and, though he acknowledged their fears, he still went on to sign the contract. 

At that moment a clock had begun to count down. The Saiya-jin race had only a small amount of time left and, and if no one acted quickly, nothing of them would remain save a few occasionally told stories.

Prince Vegeta had only been a small child then, barely old enough to speak in a way that made sense, so no one listened to him. And at night, when the training was over and the lights were shut off, he trembled in fear beneath his blanket. Would everything still be here when he awoke in the morning? Would he still be there when the day dawned anew? Those very same questions he'd asked himself over and over again, hoping that he would somehow discover the answers to them.

A few months after his sixth birthday, he heard a man named Bardock announce that he had seen Furiza destroy their planet. Of course, no one believed him at the time since they were standing right on the very same planet he spoke of and dismissed him without a second thought, but Vegeta spoke to the man even though he'd only been a third-class warrior. Bardock told him of Furiza's deed, describing in detail the events that lead up to it. The child then looked directly into his eyes and believed every single word. There was nothing insane about him, he spoke the truth.

His father was a lost soul, destined from the moment he agreed to join Furiza's side in planetary conquest to die by Treachery's cruel hand. There were few Saiya-jin who had tolerated the Changeling and even fewer who had trusted him. Between the two of them they gathered a large force and prepared their departure from the planet. Bardock told them all that there were only a few hours left in its existence.

Bardock had a son that they sent off planet only minutes before he returned with his prophecy. Kakarotto was also in his visions, exacting vengeance for his race (whether he was aware of it or not) by murdering Furiza. Bardock had been searching for the planet they sent him off to ever since that day.

He would probably never see him again, the universe was just too vast.

Bardock was in his quarters marking off the galaxies they'd recently searched. It was an easy thing to check for life energy similar to his by using a device one of the other Saiya-jin had developed. But, after searching twelve galaxies, there seemed to be no other choice but to give up hope.

'_Do I look for my father in the off chance that he survived the explosion of our planet?_' Vegeta asked himself. '_I don't care if the old man's being tortured by Furiza, he doesn't matter to me at all. Kakarotto matters to Bardock, though, so that's probably why he hasn't given up yet even though we all know he's a lost cause._'

Vegeta stood before the door of Bardock's cabin, a little tired of the endless mission they'd been on for years. He had come of age on the ship and was starting to think that he'd die on the ship without ever setting foot upon land again.

The door opened before he could knock and Bardock stared at him from tired eyes. "I'm not going to find him, am I?"

He looked at the man that had become like a father to him and nearly kept silent. How could he tell him that the chances of finding Kakarotto had been next-to-impossible in the first place and that the last seventeen years were just a stretch of completely wasted time? He didn't want to speak but also couldn't lie. "You've done your best, Bardock."

"Yeah," he sighed, "and it wasn't good enough."

Bardock was a tall man whose body was in perfect shape from daily training sessions. His dark, often unruly hair was kept back from his eyes by a green headband and a cross-shaped scar marred his right cheek. He was quiet the majority of the time, not bothering to voice his thoughts to Vegeta or anyone else -- not that any Saiya-jin really expressed himself verbally. The prince had become used to long periods of silence between them over the years so they didn't bother him that much anymore.

It was soon time for dinner. One of Vegeta's unofficial jobs on the ship was to let Bardock know when it was time for a meal; otherwise, he would just let himself starve to death. His mind was often so preoccupied that the growling of his empty stomach went unnoticed.

"What do we do now?" Vegeta asked, eager for more information about their journey. For seventeen years he'd been kept practically in the dark about why they were on the ship in the first place. The search for Kakarotto was one reason, but there was another. Bardock would never say anything to him, only stating that he would tell him "someday". When was "someday" going to come? "We've escaped Furiza's tyranny. Are we just going to roam through space for the rest of our lives?"

Bardock didn't look at him as they headed down the hallway to the mess hall but at least he answered his question. "We're going to find the other groups that fled Planet Vegeta."

"If they still exist."

A severe look wiped the slight smirk from Vegeta's face. It wasn't one of his infamous deadly gazes but it was close enough. "They're your subjects, Vegeta. I just gave them a friendly warning."

He snorted. "Friendly, my ass. Saiya-jin don't know the meaning of the word friendship. I still don't know why you bothered to warn everyone in the first place but I guess I thank you anyway."

Vegeta remembered the large hall where the third and second class soldiers ate when they were on planet. It had been ugly and plain with rough-hewn tables and chairs laid out in a grid-like pattern. The one they had on the ship wasn't as hard on the eyes, but it wouldn't win any awards, either. It was... functional.

Saiya-jin, typically, would eat any animal that stood still long enough for them to catch it. If it did decide to run, they tended to chase after it until either they became tired or it wasn't breathing any longer. After killing their prey, they'd roast it over a fire if they were patient enough. But if hunger became too great, they wouldn't hesitate to eat it raw and bloody. The visiting dignitaries that Furiza often brought to the royal palace tended to be disgusted with their table manners as well as their appearance. They just were not civilized enough for them. In Vegeta's opinion, "civilized behavior" was defined by whether a group of people had a spoken and written language, could usually live and work together without murdering each other, and were capable of technology as well as rational thinking. Those dignitaries had just been snooty.

"What's on the menu for today?" Bardock asked the nearest Saiya-jin who had kitchen duty for the week. He was slightly older than Vegeta with short-cut hair and a long, pointed nose. Beibak despised the prince and everyone knew it. It was okay, though; Vegeta hated him as well.

"Chili," he answered and made a face. "Again."

The ones in charge of cooking changed every week. Some made fairly good food while others made stuff that couldn't be identified by even their best scientists. They begged Vegeta to talk Bardock into allowing the bad cooks to do something else for their turn, but, so far, he hadn't altered the schedule one bit. Bardock and Vegeta had their turn together and usually did a decent job. There was one incident when the older Saiya-jin had wanted to try a recipe he had found on their bi-weekly trip for supplies that resulted in a fire that had taken nearly forever to put out. From then on, the prince made him promise not to ever cook anything again without describing the steps in detail to him first.

"Tounas! What the hell are you doing in here?" Bardock violently pushed open the door to the kitchen and Vegeta caught it before it knocked a server unconscious. "How many times are you going to make us eat your poisonous chili?"

Tounas, a three-hundred pound man covered in scars and wearing a white apron, pointed his spoon at Bardock. "It's the only thing I can make halfway decent. If you want somethin' different, do it yourself!"

Vegeta stepped aside and waited. It wasn't long. Bardock grabbed the man by the front of his apron and lifted him into the air.

"I guess I didn't make myself clear enough," he growled. "If you make chili one more time I'm going to tear off your fingers one-by-one and feed them to you. Do you understand now?"

He nodded, sweat breaking out onto his face. Bardock allowed him to drop to his feet and marched out of the kitchen with a quick motion for the prince to follow. The dead silence that had overtaken the Saiya-jin was eliminated almost as soon as the shouting had stopped.

"Don't you think that was a little bit unnecessary?" Vegeta asked him, already aware of the answer.

He snorted. "Unnecessary, hell! I am so goddamn tired of eating that crap I could kill someone!" He looked around the room as if searching for a suitable victim. The mess hall emptied quickly of its occupants, all eager to get out of Bardock's sight lest they be chosen. Vegeta knew the chances of dying by his hand were slim-to-nil so threats like that didn't worry him at all.

He wandered over and got a bowl of Tounas' steaming chili. Despite its every day occurrence, the dish wasn't bad. Shooting Bardock a look, Vegeta pointed at the serving line. "You need to eat."

"I'm not touching that shit!"

"If you don't eat then you'll lose strength. You don't want me to kick your ass when we spar later, do you?" he knew exactly the right words to get him to eat something. Bardock was the only family he had. Sentimental or not, he didn't want anything to happen to him.

He grinned and allowed a member of the kitchen staff to dish him up a bowl. "You always kick my ass and I know what you're doing."

"Yeah? Well, you know you won't eat unless someone watches you do it." They sat down at the nearest table and dug into their meal at the typical Saiya-jin speed of super fast. It took four large bowls each to fill them and then they were on their way to the training room.

Vegeta considered fighting one of the greatest things in the universe. There was an art to defeating and/or completely slaughtering your opponent and it was a mental challenge to find an acceptable strategy. Truly excellent fighters were as graceful as they were deadly, as polished as they were skilled. It was the ultimate dance.

He took a traditional defensive stance and faced off Bardock with a blank expression of concentration. He could easily lose himself in the motion and energy of a battle, going to what others termed "his own private little universe". Combat was what he was made for.

Bardock, in comparison, thought of fighting as only "a necessary survival tactic". Although he enjoyed the planning and the killing, he could really do without the actual battle. Vegeta's focus overwhelmed him just a little. How could he beat someone so driven and passionate about his art when he consider it only a chore?

Fists raised, Vegeta leapt at his opponent with a single-minded intent to render him defenseless. His speed was amazing as he tested Bardock's defenses again and again. He would observe, first, and then he would strike.

Preoccupying him with high punches, he kicked low and with great force. Bardock noticed the almost undetectable shift in his movements and hopped into the air just as his foot was nearing his kneecap. Using Vegeta's outstretched leg for leverage, he vaulted high over his head to land behind. The prince spun before he could gain an advantage and phased from view.

"SHIT!" Bardock cursed with feeling. Vegeta knew how much he hated when he did that. He was already too fast for him and nearly too strong. If he accelerated to a speed where he couldn't see him anymore, then there was really no point in continuing the battle, in Bardock's opinion.

He looked around as quickly as he could, trying to find something that would pinpoint Vegeta's location in the room. He froze when he felt the tap on his shoulder and glared at Vegeta's smirking face as he vanished again.

"BOY, IF YOU DON'T SHOW YOURSELF RIGHT NOW I'LL-" he yelled. His voice floated to him from above.

"You'll do what when you can't even find me? Scream at me until you pass out?"

Bardock roared in both anger and annoyance. He looked upward towards the ceiling and found nothing but air. "That's it! Vegeta, when I find you I'm going to kick your ass!" He immediately noticed when Vegeta's speed slowed and he threw himself in his direction just as a great vibration shook the entire room. Bardock froze in mid-air as did Vegeta and they both stared at the floor.

"That definitely wasn't good," Vegeta muttered. He saw a flash of light through the thick glass of the viewing window and ran over to it. Another one of the glowing beams of light flew through space and they felt it impact with the hull of the ship. "Someone's attacking us!"

The two of them headed off to the command center as fast as they could. Unofficially, Bardock was the commander of the ship even though Vegeta, technically, was ruler of them all due to his royal blood. In the event that an enemy decided to take them down, he was the one who faced the daunting task of issuing orders that decided whether or not they lived or died. Vegeta was glad he wasn't in his shoes.

He could have been had certain events not occurred a long time ago. If Furiza hadn't blown up his planet, taken his father, and scattered his people to the four winds. Vegeta would never truly be king because he hadn't earned it by fighting his father to the death. "Prince" was a title you were born into, "king" was one that you killed for.

Panicked Saiya-jin were everywhere, with some of the calmer ones at the ship's controls. Beibak sat at the radar screen, a grim look on his face. "A ship is trying to prove dominance by blowing us to pieces."

Bardock glared at him. "Really? I wouldn't have ever figured that out unless you had told me first." The heavy sarcasm in his voice made Vegeta smirk.

His face grew crimson. "The other ship is approximately six-hundred sixty feet away from us and closing in fast."

"Identification?"

Nanka, an older man who had the job of communications officer, pointed to the image screen with a shaking finger. The visuals that were coming from the external cameras clearly displayed the enemy ship. "I know this ship, sir. We will not survive this encounter."

On Planet Vegeta, Nanka had also been in charge of communications. On the fateful day Furiza attacked, he had been on duty. The very same ship that had settled within their atmosphere was on the monitor now. Well, he'd survived years longer than he had expected to and he was grateful for it.

"Who's attacking us?" Bardock asked as he looked at him with just a touch of worry.

"Furiza."

"Fuck!" he cursed, something that many of the other crew members were doing either mentally or verbally. He began to pace back-and-forth, trying to come up with a solution to their current problem. "Can we outrun him?"

Another Saiya-jin, Outou, had pulled up a data sheet describing the attributes of Furiza's ship as it had been seventeen years ago. It had been hastily taken from a command office as the ship hovered in space and was now proving to be a priceless source of information and not just a whimsically stolen good. "We cannot, sir. Our weapons are also outclassed."

"We are not going to sit here and allow him to kill us," Vegeta said as he stalked toward Nanka. The man abandoned his post without a word and allowed the prince to take over. "This is Prince Vegeta. I demand to speak with your lord at once."

The reply was curt. "A person in your position can't order his enemy around. Either you surrender, or you die."

"I don't like ultimatums." His voice was cold as ice.

"You also don't like living, then." The voice was then abruptly cut off by a wet gurgle and a new, cultured voice took its place.

"I would like to extend my sincerest apologies for his rude behavior. It will never happen again, I assure you."

"Who the hell are you?" Bardock asked. He was ignored.

"We will first disable your ship and then we will board it. If you do not cause much of a fuss, I can guarantee that you will not be harmed. To do otherwise would be foolish. Are you all foolish... men, Prince Vegeta?"

Vegeta's dislike of the voice turned into hatred when he finally recognized who it belonged to. "Furiza," he hissed, eyes glittering with rage.

A collective gasp went up from the men in the room and Bardock's face grew stormy. He shut off the transmission and turned to the assembled group. There were thirty Saiya-jin on board the ship and all of them were capable of fighting. "We will go quietly, now, and then find a way to kill him once on the ship. I am not going to initiate the self destruct sequence when we still have a chance."

"A small chance, Bardock. A chance so minute that you would need a microscope to find it." Vegeta sighed. "But we really don't have any other choice."

He contacted Furiza's ship once more and told him of their surrender. "Why do you want us? We haven't done anything to you."

The small Changeling laughed, the sound sending slight chills up many Saiya-jin's spines. "Perhaps I would like to form a partnership with you."

"I doubt potential business partners are held against their will," he said dryly. Furiza laughed again.

"Maybe not, then. Dock wthin ten minutes or I will send my aides over to retrieve you."


	2. Ghosts from the Past: Chapter 2

**Age of the Empire**

**_The First Tale of Shukumei: Ghosts From the Past_   
Chapter 2**

"Zaabon, sir, something's coming up on radar."

The purple-skinned alien had pointed out the small blip on the screen to his superior and then attempted to figure out what, or who, it was. Zaabon, a man with dark green hair pulled back into a single braid and light blue skin, had been overseeing the workers for most of the day and it was intensely boring work.

"Is it another asteroid, Kuyi?" he asked in a bored tone. Furiza had ordered the man to point out every single thing he found on the radar screen to a superior officer. Unfortunately, that person turned out to be Zaabon that day. He'd been there for five hours and every single blip so far had turned out only to be space junk.

"It's a ship, sir. Class D and Saiya-jin in origin."

Zaabon perked up at those words. "Saiya-jin in origin, eh? I thought we had them all. Fire at the ship to get their attention and then incapacitate them."

"Right away, sir!"

The bright flashes that were the powerful missiles impacted with the hull of the Saiya-jin ship three times before someone contacted them.

"This is Prince Vegeta. I demand to speak with your lord at once." Zaabon could hear the irritation in his voice and was slightly surprised. Usually people only cowered before them; it was an interesting change from the usual.

Kuyi smiled, his white teeth stark against his dark colored flesh. "A person in your position can't order his enemy around. Either you surrender or you die."

Zaabon turned and bumped directly into Furiza. "My lord," he bowed low. "The Saiya-jin we found are attempting to negotiate with us."

His face brightened and a delighted laugh emerged from within. "Saiya-jin! I haven't had any with spirit to torture in months!"

"You also don't like living, then." Kuyi said into the small microphone with a smirk. He never saw the disapproving figure behind him until it was too late.

Furiza's small, but very powerful, hand curled itself around the purple alien's throat and began to squeeze. Kuyi began to gurgle, struggling to draw breath past the hand that was slowly crushing his windpipe. Suddenly, the smaller alien released him with a toss to the floor.

"Consider that a warning," he said pleasantly before seating himself at the console and pressing a button with one black pointed nail. "I would like to extend my sincerest apologies for his rude behavior. It will never happen again, I assure you."

Shaking his head in amazement, Zaabon exited the room. "I will always question his sanity."

'_We've escaped captivity for seventeen damn years and look where we are now!_' Vegeta grumbled to himself. '_I doubt he will kill me outright because I'm prince of the Saiya-jin. I've heard about what he does to captives and I'll commit suicide before I let him put his disgusting hands on me._' 

"Are you okay, boy?" Bardock ask in a voice that was only slightly audible.

Vegeta nodded. "For now. Furiza's gonna do some painful things to us, though."

The hangar was huge and it seemed even more so because only the Saiya-jin ship was docked there. Workers of all shapes and sizes passed by the group, but no eyes focused on them.

Two large doors that sat against one wall opened with a slight hiss of escaping air from the locks. Zaabon stepped through, looking as calm as ever, and made his way over to the assembled Saiya-jin.

"I am Zaabon. Lord Furiza gave me strict instructions to escort you to your chamber."

"Don't you mean 'prison cell'?" Bardock began to walk forward, rage clearly displayed on his face. "We didn't do a damn thing to you people! Why the hell can't you just leave us alone?"

Zaabon knew the reason Furiza wanted to imprison and break all of the Saiya-jin. No one else besides his lord even had a clue.

Furiza, master of pain and of evil itself, was completely terrified of Super Saiya-jin.

It was a legend that had begun millennia ago on the once-existing planet of Vegeta. One Saiya-jin was born with the innate ability to transform into a golden being with superior speed and strength that had the capability to butcher billions with little effort and destroy entire solar systems with the barest of thoughts.

He had heard the whispers in King Vegeta's palace and knew most of the Saiya-jin figured that his son would be the next Golden Warrior. Furiza, at first, wanted to torture and then kill the prince as well as his people, but Dodoria convinced him otherwise.

"Wouldn't it be better to have the prince on our side if he was the Legendary Super Saiya-jin? Nothing could stop us then."

"Disgusting pink blob," Zaabon muttered to himself with loathing. He despised his fellow aide with all of his being and barely tolerated him when they were in the same room together.

Vegeta heard his words and one eyebrow rose. "I doubt Dodoria would appreciate your description. It isn't very flattering."

He chuckled slightly and then caught himself before they were too far down the dim hallway.

The room was fifteen feet by fifteen feet square and all the Saiya-jin barely fit into it. The plain gray walls and concrete floor had been covered by some sort of fabric but no matter what they did to the room it would always be a cell.

"What's going to happen to us?" Vegeta asked. By unspoken agreement he was now the leader of their small group. Bardock thought that it was about time for him to take responsibility for his people. They needed someone that was of royal blood to show that they all had a chance to survive as long as Vegeta remained strong.

Zaabon shrugged and lied through his teeth. "I have no clue."

He left them alone, bolting the door behind him. Vegeta began to pace a small area of the floor that the other Saiya-jin didn't occupy and tried to come up with a plan.

"We're now prisoners on Furiza's ship. What can we do about this?"

"There's nothing we can do," Nanka sighed. "We're not the strongest on this ship, I doubt we can escape."

Vegeta stopped and glared at him. "He won't kill us off without a fight! I promise you that."

Bardock was completely disgusted with the older man. "Listen to yourself, Nanka. You belong to one of the most proud races in the universe. Don't disgrace the rest of us by acting like a coward."

Vegeta forced himself to take a seat on the hard floor and searched his mind for a solution to their problem. He couldn't allow himself to think about what would happen if they couldn't escape, too many lives were counting on him. He didn't take notice of how easily the role of leader came to him or how much the other Saiya-jin trusted in his decision. The door opened again and Zaabon motioned for the prince to follow him after catching his attention.

"If you don't want Furiza to kill you, agree to anything he tells you to do without question," Zaabon advised. He shook his head at the disdain on Vegeta's face. He had a feeling that his words had gone through one ear and immediately out the other but it hadn't hurt to try.

The halls, Vegeta noted, were laid out in a pattern. The wider ones always led to important rooms and the narrower ones led to the tiny cabins for the crew. On the journey to what probably was Furiza's audience chamber, every single being they passed stiffly saluted their superior officer with almost fear in their eyes.

'_Zaabon isn't that intimidating,_' Vegeta thought to himself. '_They shouldn't be so damn afraid of him._'

"It's not me, personally, it's what I represent."

At first, he thought that he had imagined those words. Maybe they were created by his mind. Then it hit him -- he had no imagination whatsoever.

An unfamiliar feeling of panic welled up inside of him as he struggled to erect whatever barrier he could to keep Zaabon out of his mind. The taller man stopped a few paces ahead of the prince and glanced back.

"I'm sorry," he said sincerely and then he continued onward.

"That's all you have to say?!" Vegeta shouted at him. "You invade my mind and all you have to say is 'I'm sorry'?"

Zaabon stopped again. "I'm very sorry." He smiled to himself, knowing that Vegeta couldn't see his face. For some odd reason it felt good to piss the prince off.

Vegeta glared daggers at his back and stomped past him, his mood gone from bad to worse. "You should be begging me for forgiveness."

"Furiza is my master." His voice and facial expression conveyed exactly how he felt about that.

"You could escape this place."

Zaabon snorted. "And where would I go? I have no home to return to, Furiza has seen to that. I am in the same position you are; we're both enslaved to his cause."

  
Furiza sat in his hover vehicle, idly swirling deep red wine around in a crystal glass. He loved to watch the liquid more than he liked to drink it, marveling at how much the color reminded him of freshly-spilt blood. The Master of Pain and Suffering wasn't physically imposing, but his voice, mannerisms, and power more than made up for that. He was small in his first form with pink skin, black horns, and a long tail. Hard white bone covered his head, forearms, and the tip of his tail and helped to shield him from deadly blows. 

How would he learn the truth about the Super Saiya-jin from the prince? He had a strong suspicion that the royal family had been guarding the secret for millennia. Torture was a method that probably wouldn't work. The elder Vegeta, when exposed to it, had only become even more silent on the subject.

'_How do I get the brat to talk? I need to know the truth!_'

A sharp knock interrupted his musings and with barely a glance at Dodoria, the fat pink alien went to answer the door.

"What do you want?" he asked with a sneer on his face. Zaabon represented everything he was not and he despised him for it. Furiza favored the other man, giving him special privileges, gifts, and praise. He wished harm upon Zaabon in the very worst way.

"Lord Furiza sent me to retrieve Prince Vegeta, Dodoria, and it's not really any of your business."

Any other words they would have exchanged were silenced by Furiza's low voice.

"Send him in to me."

Vegeta tensed up at that voice and forgot about being fascinated by the expensive decoration of the room he had entered. It made the rest of the ship look inadequate in comparison. Zaabon paled slightly as he thought of the ways Furiza interrogated his prisoners. He had been a servant for several years and the screams hadn't yet ceased to torment him in his slumber.

He glanced at Dodoria briefly, the gleeful look on his face making his stomach turn, and indicated that he wanted to Vegeta to come over to the opposite side of the room. "Tell him whatever he wants to know."

"What makes you think I know anything?" Vegeta asked. He refused to allow Zaabon's behavior and facial expression frighten him.

"He wouldn't want a private audience if you didn't."

Vegeta stared at the door that Furiza was behind. If what he said was true, then the Changeling would do anything to find out what he wanted. The implications of "anything" made him uneasy. He had known Saiya-jin that would do anything. A few of his father's aides had been scum of the worst kind. The agonized screams and wails of the assaulted were loud and clear for anyone who passed their personal quarters and his father, fully aware of everything that went on inside his palace, didn't do anything about it. The expressions on the faces of the children were what stayed with him all of those years. They were molested and never understood why.

"What will he do to me?" he asked quietly.

Zaabon looked down at the floor, debating on whether or not to answer the question. In all honesty he really had no idea what Furiza did behind closed doors but knew that it was bad. Very bad.

The prince held his head high and calmly went to confront Furiza. No matter what happened he would always have his identity. No one, not even Furiza, would ever be able to take that away.

  
Though he would never admit it aloud, Bardock was worried. Vegeta had been gone for quite a while and no one had seen hide nor hair of him since Zaabon led him away. He turned to Nanka, a man who had a strange amount of knowledge about Furiza, in desperation. 

"What would he do to a prisoner?"

"Everything," was the reply.

That single word covered a broad range and made him all the more worried. He could be skinning him alive for all that he knew! What did Furiza want with the prince in the first place? The boy didn't know all that much about life other than that on the ship. He had been only six when they had been forced to flee.

The door that had remained closed for what felt like years finally opened and in walked Vegeta. The others were torn between staring at the troubled expression on his face and looking away in discomfort. The latter option was chosen and only Bardock's eyes remained on him.

A small area in the corner was cleared of bodies and the older Saiya-jin quietly asked, "What did he want?"

The shock was wearing off and Vegeta struggled to hold onto it. The numbness was comforting and it stopped him from feeling the pain that was sure to follow. His legs wouldn't hold him anymore as the intense waves of pain assaulted his senses. The vacant, unseeing look in his dark eyes chilled Bardock to the bone and he grabbed the young man by his upper arms and shook him.

"Snap out of it! What did he want with you, Vegeta?"

The voice was distant in the dark place his mind had retreated into when Furiza tried to get him to talk. He hadn't been prepared for the pain, though he imagined that nothing could have prepared him for the searing fire that had ripped an involuntary scream from his throat. All of the beatings his father had given him and all of the injuries he had sustained while sparring with Bardock combined held nothing to the pain he had felt earlier that day. And through it all, despite nearly going insane, he hadn't said anything that Furiza wanted to hear.

"Tomorrow is another day," Furiza had whispered in his ear as he lay broken and bleeding on the floor, "and we will see how much you can take."

"VEGETA!" The raw panic in Bardock's voice brought him slowly from the darkness and into the light.

Slowly the life flowed back into his eyes and he began to blink rapidly. "What was the question again?"

"He hurt you." A simple statement.

"A lot of people have hurt me." He sighed, hating the fact that there wasn't anything he could do about it. "Furiza wants to know the truth about Super Saiya-jin."

Bardock was surprised. "Is that all? Just tell him!"

"I don't know anything that he doesn't already know, but no one can tell the bastard any different!"

He leaned in closer and lowered his voice. "Does he know that you're supposed to be the next Super Saiya-jin?"

"He will never find out, Bardock. I will die before I tell him." The hatred in his voice for the Changeling was vehement. Vegeta shifted positions so that he was lying on his side and even that small movement sent jolts of pain throughout his lower body. Bardock noticed when he tensed up slightly and the solution to the puzzle was beginning to form inside of his mind. He didn't know how to ask but he needed to be sure.

"Did he... you know?" he asked very quietly in Vegeta's ear. He knew that no other Saiya-jin would overhear him despite their very good sense of hearing.

Vegeta rolled his eyes and sighed. "You can say the word, Bardock. We're both grown-ups here."

"Did he rape you?" The last two words were said almost without sound, but the prince still understood.

"No Bardock," he answered and before the other man could look relieved he continued. "I'm just in an ungodly amount of pain for no reason."

He frowned. "You're being sarcastic."

"Just go away and let me sleep. I have to rebuild my defenses for tomorrow's round of pain."

Bardock fell silent and looked over at the Saiya-jin who were still averting their gazes. "The prince needs to rest so shut up or I'll shut you up. Permanently."

A deep silence settled in the room and slowly Vegeta slipped into sleep. He hoped that tomorrow the pain would be nearly non-existent.

And he prayed that there would be no dreams.


	3. Ghosts from the Past: Chapter 3

**Age of the Empire**

**_The First Tale of Shukumei: Ghosts From the Past_   
Chapter 3**

Zaabon laid in bed that night, afraid that the sounds he had heard from Furiza's inner sanctum would haunt him in his slumber. He had told the prince not to withhold information from the Changeling, but his warning wasn't taken as seriously as it should have been. Even if Vegeta really had no idea what Furiza spoke of, he should have lied just to spare himself the torment.

There had been no pleading, sobbing, or screaming from the victim, but he knew what had occurred simply by Furiza's satisfied grunts and moans. At first there had been shouting and profanity from Vegeta, but all had gone silent fairly early on. Zaabon figured that Furiza had placed his hand over the prince's mouth. While he did everything short of leaving the room to escape the sounds of abuse, Dodoria had his flabby pink face nearly pressed against the door. The sight made him intensely angry for reasons he couldn't understand but before he could pull him away the noise abruptly stopped.

Five minutes later Vegeta emerged from the room, his head still held high, and demanded that Zaabon take him back to his prison cell. He had done so without a word.

'_I'm sick and tired of dealing with Furiza every single day!_'

His childhood home had been by the sea, so close that the sound of the waves was his lullaby and the salt smell of the cool water seemed to permeate everything within seconds. In addition to the small four room home, there had been a small stand of woods where wild berries grew in the shadows of the trees. He had spent many long summer days playing there with the other children, though their number had been few. It had been Cezu who spotted the ship hovering in their atmosphere and the terrified look on his face would always remain etched into Zaabon's memory. His best-friend had been born with a very rare innate ability and could sense the maliciousness coming from the occupants of that distant ship. After mumbling a few words, he had run home to find his parents and join them in prayer for the safety of their people.

Zaabon had sat on the large boulder by the beach for hours, waiting. Fear had been making its presence known for quite some time, but curiosity was doing battle and winning. He'd wanted to know who sat aboard the large ship in the sky and almost wished that they would let him come along. Though it had been peaceful and pleasant on his home planet of Taiyou-sei, sometimes the predictability of his people had been almost too much to stand. It was as if the Great Mother had taken one Beibou-jin and cloned him many times. Zaabon craved unpredictability and nonconformity; he was fascinated by the tiny things about people that helped to define who they were.

His mother, for instance, almost always wore her hair loose and about her shoulders when most other women kept theirs neatly bound. He felt that it symbolized how carefree and free-spirited she was when they played together in the ocean. His father walked slowly, his eyes to the world around him, as if he were afraid that he would miss something very important by looking away.

On that day, his father's steps had been hurried as he bodily carried him into the house. Zaabon had protested and pleaded, but, after joining the dinner table where his mother already sat, he gave it up as a lost cause.

Celesia twisted her linen napkin in her small hands, silently praying that the crew who manned the ship outside were of a good sort. Her deep green hair was pulled backwards into a tight bun so neat that not even a single strand of hair hung free. A coldness settled over her son as he realized that the ship might mean something more than just entertainment.

Nothing else had happened that night but the next morning, when Zaabon had awakened for the day, he immediately noticed that the ship was gone.

Zaabon shook his head at the memory. '_I hadn't even imagined how bad life could get in just a few short hours. Before I could even find an exciting adventure to go on, a sinful life of murder, robbery, and destruction found me first._'

The first time he laid eyes on Furiza he'd wondered just why everyone was terrified of him. He didn't look like much, just a short creature with pink skin and a long tail. Although physically he wasn't very imposing, Zaabon knew that there was a very good reason why the Changeling commanded thousands of beings. That very same day of his first meeting with the Master of Pain, a low-ranked soldier had been brought forward for execution.

His crime had been petty to even Zaabon's young ears. Upon returning from his latest mission, the man hadn't brought back enough loot and was being accused of keeping a small portion of it for himself. Furiza was a greedy lord and more than a little miffed over six gold coins.

The trial was quick and ridiculous. The accused wasn't even given a moment to defend himself and the only witnesses allowed to testify were two of the Changeling's aides. If you were just going to make a mockery of the justice system why even have a trial in the first place? Zaabon didn't understand it and figured that he probably never would.

The poor soldier's punishment was cruel and unusual: he was to be flayed alive. Furiza had taken the knife from a smirking aide and gently placed it against the damp skin of the man's arm, tormenting him with what was yet to come.

He then cut his uniform from his body and settled down to work with a delighted grin on his face. Layer after layer of skin was successfully cut from the soldier's body until the floor ran red with blood and the man had fallen unconscious from the pain. The Changeling took a break, unwilling to continue while his victim wasn't awake to feel it. The screams pleased him so.

Zaabon had stood in one corner of the room watching it all with an outwardly neutral expression. Watching the suffering of another living being was almost too much to bear, but he could not allow Furiza to find out lest he be on the wrong end of the knife. So he watched silently, sometimes with false encouragement, and hoped that one day he would, at last, have a chance at freedom.

"Mother, Father," he whispered to the spirits of his parents, his mind returning to the present, "I think that moment has finally arrived."

  
Bardock heard a sound that reminded him of the ones small animals made when afraid. Just on the verge of his return to sleep, he heard it again. Something called to him and urged him to return to full wakefulness and he did so with annoyance. '_What the Hell is going on?_' he asked himself as he sat up. He followed the tiny squeaks to the source and was startled to discover that it was the prince. The young man tossed and turned, caught in the throes of a nightmare, and the older man had no idea what to do for him, but he decided to try his best. 

He grabbed Vegeta's shoulder and shook him hard. "Wake up, boy."

The other Saiya-jin were beginning to wake, their internal clocks signaling that it was now sunrise. A few that were closest to the prince heard his cries and wondered what could make any Saiya-jin sound that way. Then they remembered whose ship they were on and suddenly understood. Furiza could make even the bravest warrior whimper for his mother.

Their prince, the Saiya-jin felt, was braver than most. He didn't come into their prison cell the night before sobbing with fear, but instead had his head held high, not daring to shame his race. How many of them could endure Furiza's torture and emerge with their sanity still intact? Not many, that was for sure.

Bardock shook Vegeta once more, cringing every time the cry passed through his lips. The older man wouldn't allow the prince to confront Furiza this day, he would go in his stead. He seriously doubted that any pain Furiza administered could compare with the agony of having someone place a hundred-pound weight on your tail.

Vegeta woke up slowly, the memory of his torture causing his body to ache. For a moment he couldn't remember where he was. Did Furiza leave him lying on the floor of his audience chamber? He could be coming back at any moment to take his sadistic pleasure from him again. Panic welled up inside of him, so great that felt he would burst. '_I will not scream. I will not scream._' This was repeated over and over, his mantra to whatever higher power was listening at the moment. If he allowed himself to scream, then there was little hope that he could ever stop again. The urge eventually passed and he opened his eyes.

He recognized the room and the expressions that covered twenty-nine Saiya-jin faces. No, it wasn't shock. It was understanding.

"My prince," said one man who had been a mechanic on the ship. Without him, they would have been stranded years ago. "We will all stand behind you in whatever decision you make. If our proud race ends here, then it will be because our best efforts to escape just weren't good enough. None of us will let Furiza's menace kill our warrior spirit."

Before him sat a group of warriors who would follow him into Hell just because he ordered them to. However, he felt he was unworthy of royal status and therefore unworthy of their loyalty. It was his job to devise a plan for escape, not to sit around and cringe with each remembered burst of pain. How could they put all of their faith into someone so young and so inexperienced?

"Bardock," he said, his voice hoarse. "I ask a favor of you."

"Yes, my prince?"

He looked the older man directly into his eyes, successfully conveying his thoughts. The color drained from Bardock's face as he realized the implications of his words. "You are much more experienced than I," Vegeta said. "For that reason, I make you the new leader of the Saiya-jin."

Bardock heard him but refused to believe. "What did you just say?!"

"You heard me." He turned away and rested his cheek against the wall. "You are the new heir to the throne."

"I refuse. The throne doesn't belong to me. You are the rightful heir." He searched for the right words to say, speaking was never his strong suit. "Ruling is in your blood just as it was in your father's. All seems dark and hopeless right now but, someday, we will be free. When that day comes you will have to be here to lead us."

"I'll try to be worthy of your faith," was all that he said.

Ten minutes later, after the soldiers on the ship had finished consuming what passed for breakfast in the mess hall, Zaabon appeared at the door. "Prince Vegeta, you have been summoned. The servants will feed your subjects, but you are to dine with Lord Furiza."

"So bet it, then," he said with a carefully neutral expression. "After our meal, will you give me a tour of the ship? It should prove to be a very educating experience." He had little hope for his request to be granted, why would a personal servant of Furiza show the enemy around? He was surprised, however, when Zaabon agreed to do it.

'_I will show you the others and then I will help. No one deserves to be caged like animals._' Aloud, he said, "Let's go, Prince Vegeta."

As they walked, Vegeta felt as if this trip would be his last. Every step he took seemed to be bringing him closer and closer to death. He knew that it was just his mind creating imaginary dread based on the what happened the day before. Furiza couldn't kill him for the information he had would die with him as well. The Changeling did not become the most feared ruler in the Universe by being a fool.

Zaabon left him at the door to Furiza's chamber and walked away without a backward glance. His lord was changing tactics, attempting to gain Vegeta's trust by being kind and understanding so that he could extract information from him. It had had a better chance of working before the sexual assault, but no one could tell him anything.

A very strong sense of something welled up inside of Vegeta. He wouldn't call it fear, not yet. Saiya-jin didn't fear anyone or anything. Sights and sounds that would make people of other races wet themselves served only as amusement to his warrior race. Yet, Furiza intimidated his people and somehow it was okay for him to be afraid. No one in the Universe was strong enough to defeat the Changeling, so his tyranny would continue with no end in sight.

'_I would give nearly anything to be free again,_' Vegeta thought to himself. '_We should all be back on Planet Vegeta doing what Saiya-jin did before the treaty with Furiza. My father was a fool to sign that paper. A few Saiya-jin have escaped, sure, but at what cost? The babies were sent to planets I've never heard of and all the records were destroyed years ago. Still, there has to be a way for our race to survive. There just has to be._'

Dwelling on the past wasn't helping anyone, he had to continue forward. For both his sake and for the sake of his people. He was their leader, the one they depended on to get them out of this predicament. All thoughts should be focused on a plan, first, and then on a way to implement whatever he came up with. There was no time to waste worrying about what Furiza could do to him.

In front of the Changeling was a small wooden table, just four feet square, and two place settings were set upon it. Next to the table was a serving cart that held several covered bowls. It seemed Zaabon was serious when he said that Furiza wished to dine with him. Hesitant, he took the seat across from the lord and folded his hands in his lap.

"We have much to discuss, Prince Vegeta," Furiza said in a silky smooth voice as he lifted the cover from a dish. "Please, help yourself."

Vegeta wasn't a fool, in fact he was far from it. Something was going on and he wasn't going to enter the game without caution. "It would be rude of me to serve myself before serving you." He got up and busied himself with dishing food upon the Changeling's plate. The food would be safe to eat if Furiza tasted it first. His stomach was growling but, unlike some Saiya-jin, he wasn't going to allow it to control him. Once Furiza's plate was full, he served himself and the two of them watched each other over their plates. "On Planet Vegeta, the host always takes the first bite of any meal."

"Oh really?" he asked with false interest. "I could have sworn that it was the other way around."

"Aren't you the most important person on this ship?" Vegeta asked.

Furiza rolled his eyes and lifted his fork. "Really, Vegeta. All you had to do was ask if I poisoned the food."

"And all you had to do was lie to me. It wouldn't have been that hard for you." The urge to cram food inside of his mouth as fast as he could was great, but his willpower was even greater. All those hours spent learning the proper way to eat from his father weren't going to be wasted. While his hands were busy at his plate, he used his tail to grab the carafe of red wine that sat upon the topmost shelf of the cart. He spoke to his host as he poured. "May I ask why you wanted me here today? I doubt you want to be friends."

Furiza's face took on a regretful look that appeared almost to be sincere. "I went about the wrong way to get information from you."

"Oh really?" he asked, one eyebrow raised. He would play the game, and play it well. There was no time for personal feelings. "You seemed to enjoy it ever so much."

"How could you say such a thing, Prince Vegeta?" Mentally, the prince rolled his eyes at the performance. Maybe Furiza should have been an actor and not a tyrant. '_Only a monster would enjoy taking someone against their will._' The words were on the tip of his tongue and the Changeling seemed to expect them. It would be so easy for Vegeta to tell him just exactly what he thought about the entire affair, but it would be just as easy for Furiza to knock him into next week. So he remained silent and that surprised them both.

Furiza's eyes narrowed. "Surely you have more to say about this?"

"What would you like for me to say? You should know where I stand on this entire thing, but if you wish to question me again, go ahead." He served himself another helping and settled back into his chair for a potentially long conversation.

He leaned back in his own chair and regarded the Saiya-jin sitting across from him. "It would be a waste of my very valuable time to question you again, so I'll just bring out my trump card."

Pushing the chair backward, the little Changeling stood and walked over the door. Vegeta turned his head to watch, making sure that he kept the other man in his sight at all times. Furiza opened the door to the outer chamber and stepped away from the doorway. "I'm only going to say this once so listen up," he said as he yanked someone inside the room. Vegeta swallowed hard when he recognized the other Saiya-jin as Bardock. "Either you tell me what I want to know or I'll make sure this guy here dies in the very worst way." He smiled unpleasantly. "And you will be forced to watch every single second."

'_I don't have a choice,_' he thought to himself as he tried to figure out a way to free Bardock and tell Furiza nothing. There wasn't any other way, there just wasn't. The older Saiya-jin looked at the prince, willing to die to protect the most sacred secret of the Saiya-jin race, but Vegeta couldn't sacrifice him that way. '_I'm going soft, Father would be ashamed of me._' Then he snorted. '_Screw, Father. Bardock is more important to me than he could ever be._'

"A Legendary Super Saiya-jin is born every few millennia," he started in monotone. "He will be the ultimate warrior, superior in both strength and speed. A being without a conscience, the only goal the Legendary Super Saiya-jin has is to destroy everyone and everything in his path."

One small, pale hand waved his words away. "Get to the point, brat. I know that already."

This was the part he loathed to tell him, the part he swore not to tell anyone outside of the Saiya-jin race. "It is said that only those with royal blood can become the ultimate warrior. According to my father, I am next in line to inherit the power."

"Ah!" His eyes lit up. "This information was worth all of the trouble I had to go through to hear it." He smiled. "Well then, you will just have to stay here with me until you come into the power. Can't have you messing up my plans and getting in my way."

"Are you an idiot?!" Bardock spoke for the first time since his arrival. "Super Saiya-jin can't think rationally! What makes you think that Vegeta won't hesitate to kill you once he becomes one?"

A surprised look came over his face before he could mask it. "Kill me? Are you serious?" Furiza's tone was light but he was betrayed by the slight worry in his dark eyes. He had been considering that for a while now. What if Vegeta tried to kill him if he truly was the Legendary Super Saiya-jin? How could anyone stop such a warrior? He could always kill the prince while he was still weak, but it really would be wonderful to have a killing machine at his disposal. Greed and dark ambition eventually won and he smiled kindly at the young man.

"Why kill everyone when you could rule them?" he asked. "Your planet is gone, Prince Vegeta, and your people are scattered. If you choose to stay with me then I guarantee you a sizable chunk of the universe to govern. Not just one planet but dozens! Imagine all those billions upon billions of people doing exactly what you say."

'_He's playing with you, Vegeta._' He said this sternly to himself, begging his own ambition to stay put in the tiny corner he had shoved it into. With very few people to rule over and no place to call his home, he had given up what few dreams he had a long time ago. Now Furiza's words slowly awakened hope and everything that went along with it. '_He won't hold to his end of the bargain, but it's awfully damn tempting to give in._' There were a few reserves of willpower remaining and he brought them forth to do battle with the Changeling's false promises.

He gave him a look. "The prince of the Saiya-jin will have no man for his boss besides the king." He vacated his seat and moved towards the exit. "Thanks but no thanks."

"I didn't give you permission to leave," Furiza said as he casually moved to bar their way. "If you will not join me voluntarily, then I will just have to make you join me." The corners of his mouth turned upwards in a cruel smile. "I can do things to you, little prince, that will make you beg for death."

For a moment his mind hesitated, deciding between negotiation and protection. As Furiza locked the door with a click that seemed deafeningly loud in the silent room, his mind retreated into the quiet place where nothing could ever hurt it. '_Let Furiza do whatever he likes to my body,_' he thought before he tensed up unconsciously, '_he will never harm my spirit._'

As Bardock looked on in horror, Furiza began this second session of torture with great anticipation. And the lost little boy inside of Vegeta wept with each heavy blow.


	4. Ghosts from the Past: Chapter 4

**Age of the Empire**

**_The First Tale of Shukumei: Ghosts From the Past_   
Chapter 4**

Zaabon paced in the outer chamber, angry at Dodoria for bringing Bardock to Furiza and angry at himself for not doing anything to stop it. He turned inward to his thoughts, successfully muting the sounds coming from the inner chamber. The chance for escape would come soon, and he would keep Furiza occupied until they were far, far away. '_I will get away from him someday and hopefully I will have someplace to go._'

His mind brought him back to the present when the door opened and Bardock stepped through, aiding a bruised Vegeta even though the prince was pushing his hands away. The prince looked only furious, this time, instead of haunted as he did before. It reaffirmed his conclusion that rape was the most brutal form of assault.

"I will not let you attack him and get killed!" Bardock told the boy he had raised from a small child. In his eyes, Vegeta was closer to him than he had ever been to his flesh-and-blood father. "Furiza doesn't want to kill you. If you try to fight him then that will change."

The anguish was clear on his weary face. "I also can't just sit back and let him hurt me. Do you think that I'm a weak man, Bardock?"

"You know that I don't." He struggled with how to say what he felt. "The others look at you with hope in their eyes. You're the strongest of all of us and our only chance to avenge the fallen. But," he continued as the beginnings of a smug smile flickered onto Vegeta's face, "if you die then we don't have a snowball's chance in Hell. Now is not the time to fight him, there will be other opportunities."

"I will get stronger," he said as he digested the words, "and Furiza will die."

Zaabon cleared his throat and made his presence known. "Before I take you back, there is something that I need to show you."

Furiza's ship was actually split into three sections that spanned two levels. The Saiya-jin were imprisoned in the very same area that the Changeling's inner sanctum was located, so close that the prisoners always swore they could hear the screams of his victims. The crew's quarters were on the starboard side near the stern with the docking bay separating them from their lord's private rooms. Training rooms, communications, and a few other rooms took up the nearly the entire port side.

There were five cells in all, each ranging from small to gigantic in size. The one Vegeta and his group were in was the second smallest one. Zaabon stopped in front of the largest cell, one that could easily hold two hundred people, and keyed in the entry code on the door pad beside the door. "He will be angry that I've shown you but I don't care anymore."

Vegeta looked at him. "What are you talking about, Zaabon?"

"This." He pushed open the door and gestured for him go inside. The two Saiya-jin stopped immediately inside of the door and just stared. Nothing either of them could say could do the moment justice.

"Well," Vegeta said after several long seconds, "at least we know where everyone else is."

"Goddamn it!" Bardock cursed fiercely. "You guys were supposed to escape him! You were the only hope we had for the survival of our people."

The Saiya-jin in charge of the first ship that departed their planet on that fateful stepped forward with barely controlled rage. "Do you think we got captured on purpose?! What kind of fools do you take us for? Your group was the one we hoped would get away, we knew everyone else hadn't." He waved his hand around the room. "Look carefully, Bardock, this is what's left of our entire race."

"Hold on a minute," Vegeta said calmly as he moved into the room. He glanced around, making sure he had everyone's attention. "We cannot allow Furiza to break us as a whole and hope to survive this encounter with him. I was ready to fight him, ready to throw away my life in a battle that I can't possibly win. I tell you now that we must choose our battles wisely."

Sukatshu frowned at him. "You are completely ignorant of our ways. Obviously Bardock has done a poor job of raising you, boy."

The older man suddenly found himself on the floor. Vegeta flexed his hand. "If you say anything else about him, or to him, that I don't like, I will do more than just knock you down. I will knock you out."

"Yes, Prince Vegeta," he said with shame that such a young man could render him defenseless. "It will not happen again."

"This is all quite entertaining, but there are more important things to discuss," Zaabon pushed away from the wall he was leaning against. "I will help you all to escape."

Eyes turned to regard him, some noticing the Beibou-jin for the very first time. He was one of Furiza's assistants, supposedly dedicated to him heart and soul. Sukatshu looked him over slowly and his lip curled. "You are one of his warriors."

A brief incline of his head. "Yes, but I am also a prisoner to his empire. All that I ask in return is a place to call my home." His eyes grew distant as he remembered. "Unlike you, I am the very last person of my race. There will be no others."

"I want to believe you," Vegeta said slowly. He had known that there was something different about Zaabon the first time he had met them all those years ago. Absent in him was the innate evil that both his lord and Dodoria shared. Inside every being there was a shadow of the impenetrable darkness, a slight flaw in their design that made them capable of ugly deeds, but Furiza and Dodoria's had blossomed into vile wickedness "I do believe you. If we escape and make it to a planet where we can settle, you will always have a home among us." He held out his hand to him. "On my honor as prince of the Saiya-jin."

They shook on it. "I will aid your escape without deceit. I swear upon the memory of my father and mother."

The deal sealed, Zaabon settled himself comfortably on a spot on the floor. It was going to be a long day. "There are four moments each day when escape is possible," he ticked them off on his fingers. "Every morning after breakfast Furiza has audiences for at least half an hour. This provides a narrow window of opportunity between the time breakfast begins and the time he goes on his morning rounds. I don't know if such a large group can make it into the hangar within the time allotted."

"Are all of our ships still there?" Vegeta asked with slight concern. "There is no way two-hundred Saiya-jin can all fit onto one ship."

"They're there but locked into several storage bays. That's one of the things I'll have to do before you make your move." Another finger went down. "There's lunch, which lasts forty-five minutes. Furiza always dines in his chamber and takes a while to do so. The soldiers have only a limited amount of time and I'm still not sure that even forty-five minutes will be enough."

Bardock looked around for the children, the elderly, and the battle-crippled Saiya-jin, trying to figure out if they would be the ones to slow them down. There were at least thirty in all and shouldn't affect their speed if the others would help them along. There was a potential problem: getting the other Saiya-jin to help at all. As a race, they were not known for kindness or helpfulness towards each other. Most of the healthy would vote to leave the others behind, if given the chance. All of them were needed to rebuild their society and it would be idiotic to waste their skills. "None of the kids, the elders, or the lame will slow us down," he said. "We will help them to freedom."

Sukatshu opened his mouth but closed it from the scalding look he received from Vegeta. "Remember what I told you," the prince warned him.

"Right," Zaabon nodded and dropped another finger. "Dinner lasts a little longer, but it's the riskiest time of all. It begins the soldiers' free hours which means a number of them will be walking around the ship. You would have to separate into tiny groups to sneak around and it would take significantly longer if you did so."

"Sneaking around goes against our very nature," a long-haired Saiya-jin with a surprisingly gentle face told him. His name was Kyabetsu and he had been on the ship since he was younger than Vegeta. There had been no real battles to speak of, so his demeanor was not as battle-hardened as the rest. "We will be unable to take that chance."

Only one finger was raised now and this moment was probably the one they all would choose. "When the ship is empty except for the night guards and everyone is in their beds, asleep. You have several hours after either dodging or taking care of the guards."

Vegeta carefully weighed the pros and cons of each chance, even though the last one seemed to be the best. Appearances were definitely deceiving sometimes and the lives of his people were resting on this decision. "Will will make our move after dinner and hope for the best."

"Good decision," Zaabon said in a relieved voice. He prayed to the gods above that Vegeta wouldn't choose wrong and knew that he could do little to influence him. "You do have technicians, don't you?" He didn't know if any Saiya-jin had any particular skill with electronics. "I will have to bring some inside the hangar to alter a few things on your ships. My skills don't extend to things of that nature." He rose to his feet and stretched his long legs. "I will return at 1800 hours tomorrow unless something goes wrong."

With one last look to his people, Vegeta also stood and motioned for Bardock to follow. "We will succeed and Furiza will pay." A cheer rang up and pride filled his chest as he realized that their inspiration rested with him. '_I cannot fail them. I will not fail them._'


	5. Ghosts from the Past: Chapter 5

**Age of the Empire**

**_The First Tale of Shukumei: Ghosts From the Past_   
Chapter 5**

There was one more stop to make before Zaabon took the two Saiya-jin back to their cell, and he didn't know how they would take it. Would they think he abandoned them or would they feel pity for a man that had been Furiza's prisoner for seventeen years? He stopped in front of a cell that could only hold one or two people and keyed in the code. "I want you to see him before you leave. Only you can make the decision to take him with you."

One dark eyebrow rose sharply. "Do you consider us so barbaric that we would leave the weak to die miserable, lonesome deaths?"

'_I don't know what I think..._' "I hardly know anything about you so it wouldn't be right for me to judge."

"Yet, you have," Bardock commented. "Sometimes we let nature to take its course, but it depends on the person." He shrugged. "I wouldn't abandon my children in a forest if they were handicapped infants. Neither would you and neither would the prince. Some Saiya-jin would, though, and those few give the rest of us a bad name."

Zaabon nodded with understanding. "They say that a few rotten apples spoil the barrel and I see that they are right." Pushing open the cell door, he held Bardock back when he stepped forward to enter behind Vegeta. It was something that the prince would need to do alone.

The room was dim and tiny; after only a few steps forward he was in the center of the room. At first he didn't see what Zaabon wanted him to, but a soft sound just behind and to his right caught his attention. He turned slowly, not sure about what he would fine, and he felt all of the blood drain from his face in one quick rush.

Never in his life had he seen someone look so pathetic and hoped to never see anyone else look that way again. Here was one man Furiza had successfully broken and he was staring mutely at the prince standing before him. Filthy rags that used to be clothing hung about him in tatters, smudges of dirt and old blood covered much of his exposed skin along with the shadows of bruises and cuts. Vegeta knelt down and inched forward slowly.

"Do you remember me?" he asked softly, heart twisting at the sight. He wasn't usually an emotion-filled person but in addition to the pity there was a profound sense of fear. What if his spirit hadn't been strong enough to withstand Furiza's torture? Would he have been like this broken shell of a man crouched in the corner? If anything of the sort should ever befall him, he hoped that Bardock had sense enough to take away his life and free him of the disgrace. There was nothing else to live for besides the fighting and to render him unable to do that was something he could never recover from. "I'm Vegeta, your son."

"I know who you are," he said in a voice permanently hoarse from years of screaming. "You haven't changed very much. Did he capture you, too?"

He nodded. "Yesterday. He also tortured me, but I am still whole."

"You are a better man than I, then." Vegeta Senior took a deep breath and released it quickly. "The days have blurred together and time has neither a beginning nor an end. Here I will die, my body expelled into space like so much trash." His dark, shadowed eyes sparked slightly with an inner fire he hadn't felt in a very long time. "You can kill him, boy. The fallen can have their revenge."

'_I could train for half a lifetime and it still wouldn't be enough._' The realization only made him sigh. Outwardly he smirked slightly with confidence that he didn't feel. If Furiza could hold him down, even as he struggled to get free, and rape him until he nearly passed out from the pain then there was little he could do to him in a battle. '_Besides, if Bardock's vision about his son was the real thing then I won't have to lift a finger._' That thought gave him mixed feelings. On one hand, he was prince of the Saiya-jin so it was his job to care for his people. That included wiping threats from existence. On the other, he knew that he couldn't win no matter what he tried. The only thing he would succeed in doing would be getting himself killed and dying without an heir would throw the Saiya-jin race into chaos so complicated that it would take centuries to straighten out. "I will do my best, Father." '_And let us pray that it's enough._'

He sat down beside him and sighed. "We are to escape tomorrow and-"

"No," he interrupted in a firm voice. "I've suffered too much already and the shame would probably kill me. Leave me here and let me die in what little peace I can find."

Despite his best efforts, a little tiny bit of compassion had snuck its way into his heart. The prince just couldn't let his father sit in a dark prison cell hoping for the day his misery would end. He concentrated on his energy until his hand glowed blue and pressed it to the king's thin chest. Dark eyes lit up in understanding and with a gentle mental push, he let the energy flow from his hand into the frail body before him.

"Thank you," the king said without voice as the light faded from his eyes, leaving them blank and glassy. Vegeta allowed his energy to dissipate and sat backwards on his heels to study the still form in silence. He could only hope that someone would do the same for him.

Bardock was leaning against the wall when he exited with Zaabon next to him. The two of them were speaking about something, a conversation that halted one they took notice of him. "Well? Who did he want you to see?" The larger Saiya-jin pushed away from the wall and moved closer to the doorway. It took only a second for Bardock to spot the form huddled in the corner. "He did that to him."

"Yeah," he nodded once. "He did. I'm not cruel enough to deny him the peace death would bring."

"Some will see that as a weakness." Zaabon was mildly surprised the prince felt anything at all besides battle lust and insatiable hunger. "I, on the other hand, consider it honorable and, therefore, a strength. Honor is something that a lot of leaders today are lacking."

He was slightly embarrassed at his complement. "Yeah, well..." '_He's not the same man he was before, that's for sure. The Zaabon of old would have called me a weakling and emphasized his point by pushing me down or something. I could hold my own against him now, at least._'

Zaabon took them back to their cell, a place they wouldn't be staying in for very much longer. Vegeta told his shipmates about the other Saiya-jin and they began to talk amongst themselves, wondering what it would be like to have an empire again. There were enough of their people left, both male and female, for the race to continue with only the slightest of problems.

Thoughts of the future kept their spirits up, and they all settled down in quiet peace. Vegeta leaned against the wall in his corner and stared sightlessly at the group sitting before him. It had been hard to see him that way, especially when all he could remember was the strong soldier who never allowed him a moment's rest. That intensive training had been what made him as strong as he was, though. Without it, he was sure that Furiza would have been able to break him.

'_Father was so strong, maybe even stronger than I was. How could that Changeling do that to him? It doesn't make sense._' "Bardock," he said a loud, "if Furiza got his hands on you, would you be able to survive with your spirit intact?"

"Yes, I could," he said without hesitation. Then he realized why the question was asked. "Things were different for the king, Vegeta. He had no idea if some of us had escaped successfully or not so there was nothing to hope for. Without that, it's easy to give up."

He thought that over and decided that it was a very good answer. "I understand."

Bardock felt bad for him and was a little surprised about that. Feeling anything other than vague responsibility for your children was practically unheard of in their society. Most young Saiya-jin grew up never knowing love or kindness and that's what helped to form them into the perfect killing machines. '_My parents didn't care diddly squat about me and I turned out okay._' He paused at that though. He was one of the rare Saiya-jin that derived little joy from the art of fighting. Before the battle, when it was in its planning stages, he enjoyed using his mind. And after, when their foes were cowering before him, he had a chance to feel hot blood as it dripped from his body onto the ground and watch the realization of death dawn in their eyes. '_Well, mostly okay. Time to get Vegeta's mind off things._' "What are you going to do when we get out of here?"

"Am I supposed to do something special?" he asked with faint amusement. "I was completely unaware of that. How about we have a celebration?"

Images of extremely drunk Saiya-jin challenging each other in pointless competitions flashed across his mind and he winced. "I don't want someone accidentally firing a blast at the hull. Getting sucked into space is probably not a nice feeling."

_   
Vegeta remembered one celebration when he was very young. They had taken some planet that had resisted the initial invasion for, at least, a week, the longest ever by King Vegeta's standards. The alliance with Furiza had still been brand new and most Saiya-jin felt it was better to have the Changeling as an ally than as an enemy. Still, there had been some grumbling when the treaty was signed, but nothing more had been said about it._

_The party in the mess hall had lasted almost all night. The Saiya-jin were a noisy bunch by nature and the sound level was nearing the stage where it would cause headaches in some people. He had been three years old and very small, so he was able to sneak into the room without anyone noticing._

_What he saw shocked him to the very core of his being. The stoic warriors he'd often seen around the palace were gone, replaced by men and women who seemed to actually be having a lot of fun. Standing against a wall, his eyes darted around the room, taking everything in. There were at least five people dancing on the tables, more than twenty engaged in challenges, and the rest were sprawled about just talking... or laughing. Vegeta didn't know that adult Saiya-jin could laugh._

_"What're you doing here, squirt?" Bardock asked as he rolled his eyes at the celebrants in the room. "Just disgraceful. Completely and utterly disgraceful. What if someone decides to attack us right now? Can't stop 'em with all my best warriors lazing around getting drunk."_

_Dark eyes blinked as he looked over at the man. "But they look like they're havin' fun."_

_A snort. "Fun's usually a foreign concept to these people. We're Saiya-jin, not party animals." He raised to fingers to his mouth, intending on letting loose with an ear-piercing whistle to catch their attention, when a small hand tugged on the hem of his shirt. Bardock looked down at the tiny prince, one eyebrow raised._

_"Please? Just this once?" He grinned privately to himself when his saw the muscles in the corners of Bardock's mouth twitch as if he struggled not to smile. Vegeta had learned the art of not showing his happiness a long time ago._

_"Fine, kid. Whatever." He ruffled his hair and lifted him into his arms. "It's bedtime for little kids."_

_"Aw, c'mon! Just let me stay up this one time, please?" He turned sad eyes to him and the man winced. He hated when children did that to him._

_"Do I look like a damn pushover to you?" He felt himself caving and sighed in surrender. "I guess I am. Well, it shouldn't hurt. It's not like your father is here to make you go to sleep."_

_He felt small arms wrap themselves around his neck. "Thanks, Bardock. You're the best."_

That had been before the training had any real effect, one of the last times he had ever been truly happy. Bardock, the king's battle commander, had always been his real father in his opinion; he took care of him when the king was too busy to care. Raditzu, Bardock's oldest son, had never liked the prince tagging along and had told him in no uncertain terms that doing it would result in dire consequences. Vegeta had just ignored him and continued to do so. Besides, he was already stronger than the slightly older boy; there wasn't really anything he could do to hurt him.

"Okay then, no celebration. How about we just find a planet and settle down to rebuild our race?"

Bardock nodded. "Fine, but you do know that we're going to have to get the other inhabitants to agree, don't you? We can't spare anyone for a long, drawn-out invasion." He spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness at the prince's sharp look. "It can't be helped, Vegeta. I know you don't want us to look weak, but it'll be even more pathetic if hundreds of farmers with pitch forks were able to kill off the remainder of our race."

The thought made him smile slightly. "Farmers with pitch forks? Really, Bardock, I doubt they would even have to send them. Children will probably appear with sling shots and pellet guns and take us down."

"You do have a sense of humor!" he said with mock amazement. "Imagine that."

Vegeta grunted slightly in response and got as comfortable as he could on the hard floor. He wanted to take a nap before lunch because he had the strangest feeling that he was going to need the energy.

  
Zaabon absently munched on a piece of fruit he'd stolen from the mess hall as he went down the hallway towards the communications center. It was very quiet on the ship, everyone was either eating dinner or enjoying their free time, and the few guards he did see were obviously so relaxed they were on the verge of falling asleep. '_They better hope Furiza doesn't find them that way or he'll teach them a lesson they'll never forget._' When he stepped through the doorway, one eyebrow raised as he recognized the small form standing before the radar screen. '_Speak of the devil..._' 

"I think they're trying to intercept us, sir," said a green alien that always reminded Zaabon of a lizard, "the ships are accelerating at a steady pace."

Furiza stroked his hairless chin thoughtfully. "Trying to attack me, eh? I thought you were too smart for this, Elinas." A slow smirk spread across his face. "Let's give them a battle they'll talk about for years. We're close to the boundary line. Go into hyper-drive in thirty minutes, as if we're running away, and then slow down so that they can catch up after we enter the territory. If we decelerate now, then he'll know I'm going to trick him."

"Good plan, sir," said the man at the ships controls, "Very good plan indeed."

His blood ran cold as ice and his heart started beating faster. '_Shit! If we cross that line then there is no way they can escape!_' Zaabon began to back out of the room very slowly so that no one would notice that he was there. '_And if they don't escape I'll have nowhere to run to._' A grim look settled onto his face. '_Well, the plan is just going to have to go into action a day earlier than we thought._'

He couldn't get over to the smaller Saiya-jin-filled cell fast enough and his hands shook slightly as he punched in the code. Vegeta snapped to full awareness as the door opened and he rose to his feet. "We are ready," he said, knowing that something unexpected had come up. "Let's join the others and I will go over the plan."

Getting thirty Saiya-jin down the hall wasn't a real problem, and the one soldier that had questioned it was given a standard response. "Furiza ordered me to do so and I doubt you want to question him about it." It had done the trick and soon everyone was stuffed into a too small room, awaiting orders. "First off, I have to take the techs with me now. There shouldn't be anyone in there at the moment, but we may run into a few people. If that happens, just allow me to do the talking, okay? I don't want anyone squealing to Lord Furiza. I'll be back for everyone else after stage one is complete."

Vegeta looked as if he was going to say something about him taking charge, but then figured that Zaabon knew the ship and its inhabitants better than he did. Shrugging, he selected three Saiya-jin and sent them off with the aide. "Listen good if you don't want to be left behind. We only have one chance to do this and if I'm stuck in this Hell-hole because one of you screwed everything up..." He trailed off and let their imaginations fill in the blanks. Sometimes that was more effective than anything someone else could come up with. Taking note of the serious faces, he decided that things had a good chance of going alright.


	6. Ghosts from the Past: Chapter 6

**Age of the Empire**

**_The First Tale of Shukumei: Ghosts From the Past_   
Chapter 6**

'_This has to be the most insane idea I've ever come up with,_' Zaabon said to himself as he and the Saiya-jin technicians paused at yet another intersection. '_We're going to get caught and Lord Furiza will torture me to death._' He peeked around the corner, hoping that the coast was clear. It was the third time they had to stop, but, luckily enough, they hadn't been caught by any of the patrolling guards. After dinner was, in fact, the worst time to escape, but in half an hour the ship would enter Furiza's territory.

He motioned for the other two men to move forward and the three of them crept down the hall. It was just a little further to the hangar, and there were actually still twenty-five minutes remaining until the jump to hyperspace. Only one last intersection remained before the three of them reached the double doors, and it just so happened that this hallway was one of the busiest. Zaabon frowned in thought and looked left and right.

There were eight soldiers, three of which were patrolling. Three were stationed by various doors and two more were guarding the entrance to the hangar. '_I need a diversion, something that will cause all eight of them to go running in the opposite direction._' He turned to the two Saiya-jin behind him and motioned them closer. "Stay here, alright? I have to go cause some havoc."

"Why should we trust you?" Yashi asked him as he exchanged a look with Kitsu.

"You don't have a choice. Is that a good enough reason for you?" Zaabon took a deep breath and went down the hallway, towards the crew quarters. He felt as if everyone was staring, and that one little mistake would ruin the entire plan. It was all in his head, he knew, but that didn't ease the fear.

A small niche sat in the wall, holding a lamp that helped to light the hallway. He raised his index finger and directed a small beam of ki at the bulb, causing a miniature explosion that spread to several other neighboring lamps before ceasing. Suddenly, the hallway was filled with people who were all wondering what happened. He did his own share of false wonder and went back to the two Saiya-jin. '_Hope they had sense enough to cross the hallway after everyone ran this way._'

It was cool and quiet inside the hangar, the technicians there only doing routine maintenance. He retrieved to white lab coats from a hook for Yashi and Kitsu, and sent them to work on the four Saiya-jin ships. The locks on the bays were dealt with quickly and Zaabon gave them a rundown on what they would have to do.

"Furiza can track your ships and you definitely don't want that to happen. You need to put something inside of each of them so he can't find you easily."

Yashi tapped his finger against the side of his face as he consulted with Kitsu. "Do you think a Class A cloaking device would do it?" He tossed a few questions to Zaabon. "What class is Furiza's tracking technology? Does he already have cloaking devices on board?"

"I don't really know," He frowned as he realized he would have to get a tech to answer his question. There weren't very many he could trust. He went off in search for someone and Kitsu began to examine the equipment.

"Does he expect us to build something from scratch? That'll take months!"

"Yeah, we only have fifteen minutes at the most." Yashi looked up as Zaabon literally dragged someone else over. The fourth man was protesting vehemently. What if Furiza were to find out he helped the Saiya-jin to escape? No planet in the Universe would be able to hide him!

Kitsu put on his best stern look and poked him in the chest. "Look, either you help us or I'm going to kill you."

"Lord Furiza can do a lot worse to me," he answered stubbornly. "He'd probably skin me for just allowing you to escape. Imagine what would happen if I helped you!" He shuddered at the thought.

"Then don't get caught!" Zaabon shouted in frustration. "Look, I'll give you something in return for your help."

"Such as?"

The aide pushed him in the direction of a storage room. "Do this first and then I'll tell you. We don't have much time left."

It took a few minutes to find the supplies and then the two Saiya-jin techs were off, a cloaking device in each hand. Zaabon watched them go about their work for a moment. '_It's amazing. I never thought a Saiya-jin could have enough brain cells to work with technology._'

"How long do you think this will take?" Yashi asked his friend before they parted to do their jobs. "He said before that there were only thirty minutes, tops."

"I can wire one in about five minutes, but if you keep asking me questions I'll never get anything done!" Glaring at Zaabon for a brief moment, he then turned and went to the first ship. In truth, he didn't know if either he or Yashi could complete their mission within the time allotted. There should have been more people on the job, but they were the most capable of all the technicians. Prince Vegeta trusted them to get the job done.

Going back through the hangar doors and noticing that the guards were, once again, in place, Zaabon went back to the holding cell to wait with the others.

  
He just couldn't sit still and wait for the aide to return. 

Vegeta wasn't a patient person by nature, but he usually could be still for short periods of time. The waiting was slowly driving him insane, he thought, and needed to be doing something other than just staring at a wall. "How much longer?" he asked Bardock whose internal clock seemed to be always correct. "Five more minutes and I'm just going to leave."

"You know we have to wait. No telling how many guards are out there in the hallway." He did a quick mental calculation. "We've got about fifteen minutes left on the clock. If Zaabon doesn't come back soon we can forget about escaping."

"Damn it!" he growled, causing the nearest Saiya-jin to him to move away slightly. Bardock only rolled his eyes and went back to counting the seconds. Vegeta could remember the day they escaped from the doomed Planet Vegeta very clearly. He might have only been six at the time, but he had observed enough to create lasting memories.

_   
The day had dawned clear and he remembered an unfamiliar feeling of nervousness. It was as if he knew that something life-altering was going to happen that day. After eating breakfast in the royal dining room, he went off with Nappa (who had hair then) so that he could train._

_Five Saibamen and all were killed with quick precision. Through the viewing window he saw the stunned look on the observing officer's face and smirked quietly to himself. Not bad for a child, eh?_

_"I will never get stronger here," he said to Nappa as they walked away from the training room. "I'm going to tell Furiza to send me to the next planet he wants to conquer."_

_The man froze in his tracks and stared at the tiny prince in mute horror. "Are you serious?!"_

_"Problem?" he asked with a raised eyebrow look over his shoulder. Nappa had paled and shook his head. Facing forward once more, a smile made it's way onto the prince's face. "Good."_

_Loud laughter floated from the open door of the soldier's mess hall as the two of them walked by. Nappa continued on, not caring the least bit about third-class soldiers, but Vegeta found himself pausing to peek inside. If nothing else, he wished to discover just what was so funny._

_A man stood in the middle of the room; his armor tattered and his exposed skin covered in cuts, bruises, and blood. A violent expletive burst forth from him and he turned to find the prince staring at him with questioning eyes._

_"My prince!" he said, dropping down to kneel at his feet. "I bring word that Furiza will destroy our planet and kill our people! Visions come to me, terrible visions of death and darkness." His dark eyes begged the young boy to believe him even as the other Saiya-jin continued to chuckle in the background. Vegeta stared at him for a long moment before nodding his head._

_"Come," he said with a small sigh, "we have work to do."_

_As the two of them met up with Nappa in the hallway, Bardock's voice floated back to reach the ears of his comrades. "We will change our future!"_

'_If I hadn't believed him, we all would be feeling the flames of Hell._'

Seconds turned into minutes and soon there were only ten remaining. Vegeta had long since abandoned any ideas of remaining still, instead choosing to pace across what little floor space belonged to him. He froze on his journey away from the cell door and peered down at Bardock. "What the hell is going on with him?" Two Saiya-jin looked into his very still face and shrugged in unison.

It was as if the man had died or fallen into deep unconsciousness. His body was very still and he stared off into the distance, eyes unseeing. The only outward sign that Death hadn't laid cold hands to his body was the faint, nearly indiscernible, movement of his chest as he breathed. A sudden feeling of panic rose deep inside of Vegeta as he kneeled next to the man, eyes very large and dark against the stark paleness of his face.

"Bardock," he said quietly so as not to startle him. When he received no response, he reached out and roughly shook him. "Bardock, wake up!"

For one very long moment nothing happened. Then, Bardock blinked once, long and slow. "Is it time yet?" he asked.

"Where did your mind go?" Vegeta asked, almost insanely relieved that nothing was seriously wrong with his surrogate father. "For a moment, I thought you were..." He broke off, unable to say the word aloud.

"He's coming for us," Bardock said, not answering his question for a moment. "You need to get everyone ready."

Vegeta rose and grabbed his arm. "I'll do that in a moment. Now, where did you go?"

"You know that I have visions because of that Kanassa-jin, right?" he fidgeted as he spoke, somehow uncomfortable with talking about it. "I saw us on a ship, coming upon a blue planet that I've definitely seen before." He smiled. "We've done it, Vegeta. Our destinies have been altered."

"We'll celebrate later," the prince told him as explosions began to rock the ship and a klaxon went off somewhere in the distance. He then levitated above the crowd and made sure that everyone could see him. "The time has come for us to leave this place and go out into the Universe to search for another world. I will spare no words, this journey will be tough; most likely the toughest you've ever embarked upon. But we will see it through and emerge from the hardship a stronger people. No matter what happens today, we will still have the knowledge that the Saiya-jin people have changed their destiny." The muted beeps of the electronic keypad touched the silent room and then the cell door was opening.

"C'mon, you don't have very long." Zaabon urged them outside into the hallway and then took the lead. The guards were strangely absent and the red emergency lights that lined the way were blinking slowly. "I set the alarms off so everyone should be on the other side of the ship by now."

"You're risking a lot for us," Vegeta said quietly so that only the aide could hear. "Thank you."

"Just remember what I asked of you. One day, I will be there to collect my reward."

The hangar was completely deserted save for the two Saiya-jin techs who were waiting with big grins on their faces. As the large group divided into four smaller ones, Kitsu began to tell the occupants of his ship all about the trials of installation. It hadn't been quite as difficult as he was describing it, but Yashi let him get away with it.

As the Saiya-jin were boarding, Vegeta silently regarded a man who he had once despised. It was amazing; an aide to the most feared being in the Universe was now one of his greatest allies. He raised one hand into the air. "You are a true friend. I am honored to know you."

"The feeling's mutual," Zaabon said with a smile as they shook hands. "Don't go get yourself killed before you reach your new world. The coordinates are already programmed into the systems, so there's no need to search." He turned and walked towards the control room. His final job was to open the hatch and allow the ships to pass through to the cold, airless space outside. '_Here's hoping Lord Furiza's techs have enough sense to leave the hangar._'

"What planet are we heading off to?" Vegeta called the question to him before the distance grew too great. Zaabon turned his head slightly and grinned.

"The natives call it Chikyuu."


	7. Ghosts from the Past: Chapter 7

**Age of the Empire**

**The First Tale of Shukumei: Ghosts from the Past**

**Chapter 7**

Everyone was silent as the ship they had been held captive on for three days faded into the distance. They had known that they were free the moment their ship left the hangar but it seemed like it wasn't real until the larger ship was no longer in view. Cheers rose up, a great sound that nearly shook the ship with its intensity. Vegeta released a breath that he had no idea he was holding and collapsed into the nearest chair.

It was then that he noticed the usually stoic Bardock's behavior. The older man was grinning widely and there was a twinkle in his dark eyes. As a matter of fact, he was starting to scare the prince.

"Are you... okay?" he asked, both eyebrows raised so high that they were nearly even with his widow's peak.

"We're going to Chikyuu!" he said with barely suppressed excitement. By that time, the other Saiya-jin had begun to crowd around him in curiosity. He rolled their eyes at them. "You guys don't get it, do you? Chikyuu's the blue planet I've been Seeing."

"You've seen it in visions?!" Vegeta stood and stood before him, annoyance clear on his face. "When were you going to tell me about it, Bardock? I'm your prince; I have a right to know!"

A calm smile was his only answer. "Actually, boy, you are our king." He chuckled as the color drained from his face as Vegeta realized the full import of what he had done on Furiza's ship. "You were so focused on us getting away that you've completely forgotten about the Sending."

Reverent silence descended upon them. The Sending was a Saiya-jin tradition that dated back as far as anyone could remember. In order for a prince to gain the throne, he had to murder his father and send his soul to Hell. Most of the time it was one of the hardest things a prince ever had to accomplish in his lifetime, but some kings were as weary as the previous king had been and put up no fight.

"On the ship, I killed him," Vegeta whispered. Before he had been ruling in name only; Bardock had been the true leader. Now, the lives of dozens were placed into his care. '_Can I do this? Can I take care of my people without fucking up?_'

"You've done fine so far, Vegeta." Bardock recognized the fear and panic in his eyes; many young Saiya-jin placed into a position of power often looked the exact same way. "Leadership is in your blood, boy. You'll know what to do."

Abruptly changing the subject to give the new king time to regain his composure, he started on his visions. "You all know that I saw Furiza blow up our planet, correct?" He received nods. "I had another vision that I told no one of. On the Day of Sorrow my second son, Kakarotto, was born. He was sent to a planet in the middle of nowhere and I've been looking for him ever since. The planet Zaabon spoke of, Chikyuu, is the very same one he was sent to. I know it! Don't you see?"

"Don't we see what?" Outou asked, the confusion on his face mirrored by many others. "All I know is that your son was supposed to kill the one who nearly destroyed our race. That's all you've ever told us."

"This is no coincidence, people. We're ensnared in the sticky web of fate." The lingering smile on his face faded. "We can't control our destines, something up there is doing it for us."

Nanka frowned in worry. "I hope that planet you saw Kakarotto and Furiza fight on wasn't Chikyuu. We shouldn't be anywhere near them when it happens. It can't be safe."

Bardock rolled his eyes at him. "You're probably the only one here that wouldn't want to see that battle. Wouldn't you want to be there to see our people avenged?"

"I like my limbs where they are, thank you very much." He shuddered at the thought of Furiza attacking him. The nightmare would come true if he ever found out where they were. Turning away from the others, Nanka went to his place at the communications console.

***

The next day found Vegeta staring out the viewport in his private room. For some reason he couldn't place, he felt uneasy about leaving Furiza alive. How long would it take him to discover their absence? What would he do to find them again?

The door slid upward and he didn't bother to look behind him. He knew there was only one person that would enter without knocking. "What do you want Bardock?"

He didn't speak until Vegeta felt the slight dip in the bed that meant Bardock had sat down. "This is the strangest thing you've ever done since the time you thought you were God."

Vegeta turned to face him, eyebrow high on his face. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You don't remember?" he chuckled. "You were nine years old and had accidentally slipped and fallen coming out of the shower. Or so the doctors said..."

  
_"Fear me you lowlife bastards! Bow before your lord and master!"_

_The Saiya-jin in the mess hall looked at the young boy dressed in a white bed sheet and erupted into laughter. Eyes narrowed, he climbed up onto the nearest table, knocking several dishes to the floor, and pointed his index finger around the room. "I am God," he said in a low voice filled with anger, "and you will respect me!"_

_"What are you on, boy?" Bardock asked with an amused smile on his face. "Whatever it is, you need to stop using."_

_He tried to stalk down the table toward the man, but tripped on the bottom of his sheet and fell flat on his face. The laughter only grew louder when, in his attempt to rise, his foot slipped in a mound of mashed potatoes and he slid down the rest of the long table and landed on the floor. Tears were running down numerous faces until Bardock squatted down beside the boy and noticed that he was unconscious. Picking him up, he carried him back to his room and laid him on the bed._

_Examining his skull, Bardock found not one but *_two_* bumps. Something had to have happened to make the prince delusional and he figured that a knock to the head was it. "You better be normal when you wake up, Vegeta. I don't want the others to rupture something from laughing so hard."  
  
_

He laughed at the memory. "Before you woke up, I made everyone promise not to ever bring it up again."

"That's the reason why everyone seemed to be laughing at me that week!" He punched him in the arm. "You should have told me. I have the right to know just how bad a fool I made of myself."

Bardock nodded but the smirk didn't leave his face. "Are you out of your mood, now?"

"When will he find us, Bardock?" He interrupted the older man before he could respond. "You and I both know that he eventually will."

"Hopefully it'll be after we get to Chikyuu. I don't want to get into a fight with Furiza." He almost couldn't stop the tremor from going through his body. "None of us could survive something like that."

Vegeta rose to his feet. "It's alright to be afraid, Bardock. Everyone else is as well."

"Including you?"

"*_Especially_* me," he corrected. "C'mon, we should be close to Xelos."

Five minutes later they were descending through the atmosphere and landing at the space port. Xelos was a planet that many travelers found themselves on for many reasons. The Saiya-jin were there to purchase supplies. Zaabon hadn't told them how long it was going to take to reach Chikyuu so Vegeta wanted to be prepared.

"Give me stats, Outou," Vegeta ordered as he reached the bridge.

"Xelos is a Class A planet with various terrain. The atmosphere is mostly comprised of nitrogen, oxygen, argon, and carbon dioxide with amounts of 25.80%, 72.19%, 2%, and 0.01%. Its native inhabitants are called Xelian and the global population is approximately seven-hundred million. Average battle power is 275.53."

"Not bad," the king commented. "Nanka, have you contacted the other ships and let them know that they are to land as well?"

"Yes, my king. They will meet us on the tarmac."

The four ships were left on the apron and a fee was negotiated upon. Although they didn't have much currency (especially of the unit that was accepted on Xelos), they were willing to pay. It wouldn't be wise to have a planet of so many people angry at them.

Once everyone was gathered together, Vegeta divided them into groups and appointed them tasks. Some would purchase the food, others would see to the maintenance and refueling of the ships, while still more would search for information. There were few people here who had never heard of their race since Xelos hadn't ever been targeted for real estate. After consulting with Bardock, Vegeta told them to meet at a bar about half-a-mile away from the spaceport in three hours. The older man had an idea up his sleeve and was going to try his best to make it work.

"You know we don't have the money to pay for this," Vegeta said as he and Bardock went on their way by themselves. "Do you actually think they'll let us rent a room for free?"

He snorted. "Of course not, boy. I have an offer they can't refuse." A single eyebrow rose in waiting. "Either the owner allows us to borrow that room or we'll kill his family."

"Ah, a good threat always does the trick."

They spent the entire time watching the street performers and sampling the food. A festival to one of their gods was occurring and wine flowed freely throughout the city. Vegeta had four large cups of the sweet, fruity liquid before Bardock made him leave the area.

"If you haven't forgotten, I am the king," he said in a voice that was only slightly slurred. "I can do what I want."

"King or not you're still my kid," Bardock gave him the sternest look that he was capable of, "and when I say no, I mean no!"

This was the first time someone stopped him from doing something stupid because it was for his own good. The realization that Bardock actually cared about him made warmth flow throughout his body. Later on, when he was sober, it would be blamed on the wine. "I love you, man!" he cried and hugged the startled soldier. Bardock awkwardly patted him on the back and carefully pried him loose.

"That's it, no more alcoholic beverages. You get weird when you're drunk."

A goofy smile appeared on the king's face. "Sure, Papa. Whatever you say."

Eyes wide in shock, he grabbed his shoulders. "What did you call me?!"

"You're my papa, aren't you?" Confusion shone in his dark eyes. "I wasn't supposed to call you that?"

"Only if you want to, Vegeta." He tried to stop the huge grin from spreading across his face, but it was a lost cause from the beginning. "You'll be the first to ever call me that."

"There are two kinds of family: those you're bound to by blood and those you're bound to by choice. Oftentimes the latter bond is the strongest." That said, he spotted more free food and ran off to devour it. Bardock stood there and watched him for a moment, pondering on how wise he had become. Eventually shrugging, he went off in the opposite direction to secure a room for the celebration.


	8. Ghosts from the Past: Chapter 8

**Age of the Empire**

**The First Tale of Shukumei: Ghosts from the Past**

**Chapter 8**

The first level of Saiya-jin drinking always involved bawdy and tasteless jokes. These sometimes humorous anecdotes often made the few innocent women they had blush. Level two incorporated ditties of the perverted kind. Bardock, for some odd reason, knew more songs than anyone so he was called the most often to sing.

The third level was the start of challenges issued to the strongest warrior. By this time, Vegeta had gotten his hands on something more potent than wine. So the king, who was three-sheets to the wind, decided that he was going to accept any challenge that came his way. He and Beibak stumbled over to the cleared space in the center of the room and basically slapped at each other until Beibak passed out. Vegeta let out a cheer and promptly landed face down over the other man. They were dragged from the floor and level four began.

Bardock pushed his half empty glass aside, feeling only slightly drunk seeing as he always stopped at level two. Someone had to stay sober enough to keep everyone in reasonably in line. There was a down side to drinking that much, though. It always made him melancholy.

How would he, Toma, Celipa, Totepo, and Panboukin would have celebrated if his best-friends had lived to see this day? Leaning back into his chair, he remembered the day of their deaths.

  
_The ground was broken and the lifeless, beaten bodies of his best-friends were lying haphazardly along the cold earth. Eyes wide in shock, he scanned the area._

_"Bardock..." a voice said weakly. Running over to his friend, he kneeled beside him and raised his head._

_"Toma! What's going on? What happened?"_

_"You fool, you could have stayed away."_

_"Did the people of Planet Meet...?"_

_"We destroyed them in a second." He interrupted._

_Bardock frowned in confusion. "Then who attacked you?"_

_"Furiza! He betrayed us!" It was hard to speak of and even harder to believe._

_"No!" He shook his head in denial. "It can't be!"_

_"Furiza's been using us all along. I'm dying, but I have to tell you this. Furiza will kill all of us Saiya-jin. Listen, go back to Planet Vegeta and gather our comrades to kill Furiza. Show him the strength of the Saiya-jin people."_

_The light slowly faded from his eyes as they closed and Bardock marveled at how peaceful he looked in death. He untied the white cloth Toma wore around his left bicep and used it to wipe the blood from his friend's face. He slowly took in the senseless deaths of his closest friends, feeling the cooling blood drip from his hand and soak into the rust-stained rag. His scouter picked up a reading and he turned to find four men watching him with hostile eyes. What had they ever done to cause Furiza to take such drastic measures?_

_"It's your turn to die," said the horned alien at the forefront with a cold laugh._

_In mute rage, he tied the blood-soaked rag around his head in bandanna fashion. It really didn't matter why the soldiers killed his friends. There would be vengeance._

_Bardock had high hopes for the battle, but in the end, he just wasn't strong enough. Lying battered and bloody, he closed his eyes and waited for a death that did not come. Instead Dodoria, who had been the one to deal the nearly fatal blow, had gotten a call on his communicator and he flew off back to Furiza's ship._

_Not wasting a moment, Bardock jumped back into his space pod and flew at top speed back to Planet Vegeta. "I still can't believe that Furiza wants to kill us." Near the completion of the trip, he found himself gazing out of the window and watching a small pod go by in the opposite direction. Somehow he knew what small bundle it contained and the vision instantly sprung to mind. "Kakarotto..." he whispered. Upon landing, he exited the pod and leaned against the side of it to regain a little of his strength._

_"What's wrong, Bardock?" one soldier asked._

_"You're a little late. We've just launched your kid to Chikyuu... some frontier planet."_

_He froze and looked back at the two of them. "Chikyuu?"_

_The second soldier smiled at him. "Yes, it's a blue planet in the solar system. Even a low-level soldier could destroy it in a couple of months. Go visit him after you get better._

_"But what's the matter with you with all those wounds? I heard that you went to Planet Meet."_

_Bardock stared through them, remembering. "That was... Chikyuu. Yes, there's no doubt about it now. All the dreams I've been having are of the real future. That means..." He gasped and resumed his trek at a faster pace. "It can't be!"_

_"Are you alright Bardock?"_

_ Ignoring both the question and the burning pain of his wounds, he ran into the building with faltering steps. Closer and closer the mess hall came, but the pain became too great and he blacked out briefly from it. The images that assaulted his mind both surprised and frightened him. There was Planet Vegeta's destruction, his small son growing from a squalling infant to a competent adult, and the battle between Kakarotto and Furiza. As Bardock reached out to his son, the vision faded and he found himself once again in the deserted hallway._

_He did make it to the mess hall but if the prince hadn't come along, none of his comrades would have believed a word he said._

_They escaped successfully by leaving the planet from a point not visible by Furiza. As the red sphere faded from sight, Bardock whispered a promise. "__Everything's going to change. The Saiya-jin's destiny, my destiny, Kakarotto's destiny, and also your destiny, you bastard."_

  
A familiar squeak brought him out of his thoughts. Turning to the form sprawled in the booth beside him, he sighed when the noticed the signs of Vegeta caught in the throes of a nightmare. He shook him hard, hoping that he could awaken before the others noticed his distress. The dreams were a weakness, one that could be exploited by any Saiya-jin with aspirations to become king.

Vegeta jerked away after a few more shakes, eyes wide and breath coming in gasps. After a frantically looking around for several moments, his vision cleared and he was able to catch sight of Bardock. Calming down immediately, he sank against the leather of the seats with an anguished sigh.

"Will they ever stop?" he asked in a voice that held little hope. The nightmares, further fueled by the fear that a certain enraged Changeling would track them down, only grew worse as time wore on. His slumber held little rest and he felt as if the fatigue was causing his skills to suffer. Something had to be done soon or he would be useless as a leader to his people.

Bardock stood and motioned for him to follow, deciding that it would be better if they could talk without eavesdroppers. "I used to have nightmares as a kid, Vegeta," he said as they walked down the street towards the sea. The lamps cast pale splashes of circular light onto the sidewalk, lighting their way easily. The shops were all closed up tight on the street and only the pedestrians were tourists. "My father was like most Saiya-jin, cold and cruel. There was no love lost between us when he died. Anyway, I used to wake up in the middle of the night relieved that father wasn't beating me. He did it for the smallest reasons until it got so bad that it happened even in my dreams."

Vegeta looked up at him in sympathy. "Does he still?"

"One day I woke up and realized that they were only memories and couldn't hurt me anymore. Until you can understand that and move on, they will haunt you."

They reached the marina and sat down on the weathered wood of the dock. The lights from the few boats still out bounced on the water as small waves disturbed their reflections. It was quiet and peaceful, a perfect place to have a serious and uninterrupted conversation. After a extended moment of though, Vegeta ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

"I can't just forget them! Papa, you don't know how much it hurt and how humiliated I felt." He looked down at the feet dangling above the dark water. "I will never forget it."

Bardock placed a gentle hand upon his shoulder. "You shouldn't forget. The mistakes of others often teach us valuable lessons. There will come a day when you discover that the past no longer has any power over you, when you are able to think back without fear."

"I hope so," he said softly. "Papa? Thanks."

They turned away from the water and headed back to the celebration.

***

Furiza walked through the halls as if he owned the place. Which, of course, he did. There was much to be said about his good mood, most of it had been attributed to the fact that Elinas was now lying in millions of tiny pieces. It had felt good to dissect one of his sworn enemies and soon the floors would run red with the blood of dozens more. "Ah," he smiled happily to himself, "life is good."

The door was suddenly in front of him and his hands tingled in anticipation. No sound came from the medium-sized cell so the tyrant assumed that his captives were asleep. '_Imagine the looks on their faces when I go in!_' He pressed the code into the electronic pad and grinned as the door slid open without a sound.

The gleeful expression vanished as quickly it had appeared. The cell was empty, completely empty. Furiza examined every nook and cranny in a daze, trying to fathom an escape from a locked room. There was no way in the Universe they could have gotten away without help.

"WHO DID THIS?!" he roared, temper flaring. The small Changeling fairly stomped down the hallway to the largest of all the cells. Furiza knew what he would find, but deep down there was still a small kernel of hope. Maybe the Saiya-jin were still trapped inside, maybe the hours of joyous torture could still be savaged. When the door slid aside, a red haze of rage covered his sight. Whoever had the audacity to ruin his fun would be found.

And they would pay dearly.

***

Zaabon returned from training about half an hour after the time of Furiza's discovery. Whenever his lord decided to make a visit to his father and older brother, he always chose to stay onboard. He disliked the other two Changelings even more than he did Furiza and that was saying a lot.

"Oh, Zaabon," Dodoria said in a sing-song tone that made the taller aide's skin crawl. He smirked as he exited the inner sanctum. "Lord Furiza would like to have a word with you."

His heart began to hammer wildly in his chest. Did he-? "Lord Furiza," he said as he kneeled. He couldn't allow his imagination to run wild, it would give him a panic attack. "You wished to see me?"

"It has come to my attention that my beloved pets have all gone away." This was said in a very calm voice that Zaabon knew would change. "Do you know why that happened?"

Eyes wide with terror, the aide stared at Furiza's lazily moving tail. He had seen men brutally impaled by the hard tip, watched the light die from their eyes as they lay slumped over the appendage. Taking a deep breath so that no stutter would pass through his lips, Zaabon answered. "I was not aware that the Saiya-jin had vanished, my lord. Please excuse my oversight, it will never happen again."

The hover chair turned in a tight circle and beads of sweat popped out onto Zaabon's body. He recognized the expression on Furiza's face, nothing good ever came from it. "You should know that lying to me isn't the wisest course of action, Zaabon." His fingertips with their sharp nails came to a point over his lap. "The Saiya-jin have been missing for exactly twenty-one hours and thirty minutes. Two meals have been served since then, my dear aide, and you were in charge of them." His small hands moved to the arms of his hover chair and he pushed himself forward as if to rise. Zaabon took two stumbling steps backward and wondered if he could make it to the door before the Changeling could fully stand.

He didn't think so but it was worth a shot. Stepping backward as fast as he could, he grabbed for the doorknob and was surprised to feel it in his hand. Zaabon turned it, eyes still staring at Furiza, and stumbled backward through it. He escaped! There was no time to question _why_, he had to put distance between himself and the menace.

'_Oh God, oh God, oh God..._' Words streamed rapidly through his mind as he darted the long way to his quarters. He knew that it was probably suicidal to enter a room with only one exit, but the few things he had managed to salvage from his home planet were there. Under no circumstances was he going to allow them to stay behind. They were all he had left to remember of a peaceful, happy life.

Stuffing his meager possessions into a cloth bag, his next stop was the hangar. There were still a few single person pods there and he knew how to ready one for flight in just a few minutes. As he initiated the start-up sequence, he wondered why Furiza hadn't found him yet. It wasn't as if he were stupid -- the tyrant knew that he was going to attempt an escape. So he was either part of a plan or Furiza had become incredibly dense in just a few minutes.

Guess which he was betting on.

Even though Zaabon had a feeling that his lord was allowing him to escape, he couldn't stay on the planet. Furiza may not execute him as a traitor, but that did not mean King Kold or Koola would follow suit. He'd rather not risk death at all, thank-you-very-much.

He typed in the memorized coordinates for a certain blue planet in a distant solar system and settled into his seat. There were several life support functions in addition to the oxygen that would keep him alive. First, he would find a planet or a space station to purchase additional supplies from and then he would head out on a direct course to his new home.

"You're clear for take off, Zaabon," a voice crackled from the loudspeaker. "Hatch opening in five, four, three, two, one."

A conveyor moved the small pod between the two tight doors of the airlock. With a hiss, the air was depressurized and the second door opened to admit him into space.

'_I can't believe that I'm finally getting away from there._' He pressed a hand to the small viewport window. '_Thank God._'


	9. Ghosts from the Past: Chapter 9

**Age of the Empire**

**The First Tale of Shukumei: Ghosts from the Past**

**Chapter 9**

Vegeta alternated taking bites of his mediocre meal with reading paragraphs of text. Several sheets of paper were spread across a corner table in the mess hall. They were the notes from an earlier meeting and the requests from various Saiya-jin both on and off the ship. Very few things related to the old empire had been saved so it was necessary that they create a government from scratch.

In three days he had attended six meetings, most of which had something to do with governing the people. Personally he felt that they actually needed laws before assigning people to enforce them, but the Elder Ones saw things just a little bit differently. He knew that it was important to listen to those who had lived long lives underneath the old rule, but that didn't stop him from wanting to bust heads.

"I should have known that you would be doing this," Bardock said as he cleared a spot on the table large enough for his tray. He shook his head at the paperwork and tried to imagine himself spending hours on it. He couldn't. "You know that I'll help you in any way, but if you ask me to look over papers I'm going to hurt you."

The king chuckled. "I'm not cruel enough to force anyone to do this." At his papa's raised eyebrow look he amended his statement. "Usually."

"Excuse me, sir," said a small voice at his elbow. Vegeta started and looked behind himself, only to find empty space. Confused, he looked down and found the small eyes of a little girl staring back at him.

"Did you need something?" he asked, more than a little wary. Children were out of his league and, despite having been one once upon a time, he had no idea what to do with them. Luckily there were very few of the little rugrats running around the ship.

She held up a rather decrepit teddy bear whose body parts looked ready to fall off. "Daddy said that you make things better."

"Oh really?" he looked at her stuffed animal. "Is something wrong with him?"

"His name's Boo-Boo and he needs a doctor. Can you help him please, sir?"

'_What makes her think that I can fix a stuffed animal?_' He was fully aware of a very entertained Bardock watching his every move. '_No matter what I do, I'm going to make a fool out of myself. Damn it._' "What's your name?"

"Kyuuri," she answered.

"Give me your bear, Kyuuri, and I'll take care of him."

She smiled and handed him over. "You *_are_* a good man just like my mommy said." Kyuuri suddenly hugged him, surprising both the king and Bardock, and skipped away.

"Are you going to take him into surgery, Dr. Vegeta?" he asked with a laugh. "You don't even know how to sew."

"Do you?" he asked. "For some odd reason I don't want to let that little girl down."

Bardock grinned even wider. "Why, Vegeta, I do think you're becoming nice!"

"Don't say that!" he exclaimed. "It'll make me look weak."

The expression on his face changed faster than Vegeta could even blink. Bardock leaned in closer and motioned for him to do the same. "Listen Vegeta, there is no shame in showing a little compassion and kindness. By doing so you cut down on assassination attempts, riots, and revolutions. It's smart leadership."

"Okay Bardock, but someone's going to have to teach me how to sew. I've never wanted to learn women's work."

"You cook, don't you?"

"That's only because it keeps me alive. If I didn't need food, I wouldn't go near a kitchen."

Bardock grabbed the sleeve of his shirt and shook it. "You wear clothes, don't you? They're the most basic form of shelter, boy. Without them you would be exposed to the elements and would eventually die. Knowing how to sew can also keep you alive if you have to stitch up a wound to stop yourself from bleeding to death."

"I've never looked at it that way," he said, appropriately chastised.

"You gotta meeting later?" he asked while briefly reading over a document. Vegeta gratefully allowed the subject to be changed. "Need any help with it?"

Vegeta finished off his meal and gathered his things. "We have to decide what to do once we land on Chikyuu. Do we go in as invaders and hope for the best or do we try to negotiate with the people for land? I don't have any alternate choices."

"We need to know more about that planet before we can make a decision. Does anyone have any data on it?" Bardock grabbed the nearest Saiya-jin. "Get all the available data on Chikyuu and bring it down to the conference room."

"Yes, sir," he saluted and marched off.

"If we do negotiate, what will we give them in return?" Bardock continued. "Protection from outside invaders can be offered, but what if someone attacks that's just as strong as we are and has three times as many people?"

"There have to be strong defenders on Chikyuu or it wouldn't have existed this long."

"We're assuming that they're strong people, Vegeta. What if they're as weak as one of our newborns?"

Vegeta thought about that for a moment and sighed. "This is why I need your suggestions, Papa. So far there isn't a good solution to our problem."

"We could just ask them for help, you know. That's a third option."

"And be indebted to them for the rest of my life?" Vegeta snorted. "You've got to be kidding."

Bardock said nothing. He had known the response to his suggestion before he'd even spoke the words. Vegeta's pride would not allow him to ask for help even though it could mean the death of them all.

Those who attended the meeting all had an important purpose for being there. The seven men sat around the table, with Vegeta at its head, and turned serious eyes toward their king. After shuffling his papers for a moment and mentally preparing himself, he began.

"By now I'm sure that you all know our dilemma. What should we do when we land on Chikyuu? It's not an easy question to answer. Invasion seems to be the method everyone finds the most acceptable. Taking their land and their resources by force will show that we are the superior race. That isn't a smart option, however." He locked eyes with each and every man. "Based on the data I've been able to obtain, they greatly outnumber us; approximately ten million to one." He smiled grimly at their gasps of surprise. "Even if we factor in that one Saiya-jin could probably kill ten humans easily, there are still too many remaining."

"So what do we do, sire?" Elder Panpukin asked.

"There are two other options. We can go and negotiate for land and resources," he received a few approving nods, "or we can ask for them." Silence. '_I knew that last one wouldn't go over well,_' he sighed to himself. '_As much as I hate to admit it, that may be our only choice._'

Retasu, a lieutenant in the former Saiya-jin army, frowned. "Let me test my understanding," he said slowly. "Our only good options are to negotiate with things that we don't have or go in begging for help?"

"Begging is too strong of a word," Vegeta told him. "*_Asking_* is the correct term. We can do without a city if we must. Some of our people chose to live from the land long ago, a nomadic tribe with no true home. If there is no other choice we still have something to fall back upon.

"Is that a fourth option?" the elder asked with mixed feelings. On one hand he felt that Saiya-jin should never rely on another race for survival, on the other he didn't think his weary bones could take so much walking around. With the ever-present threat of human attack they could never be truly secure in any place.

"Should it be?" Vegeta asked, truly wondering. For the first time since receiving the Right of Caste from his father, he felt that it took the opinion of many to form a good decision. After all, wasn't it affecting everyone? "Whatever we decide, we must put it to a vote among the other Saiya-jin. It's their future as well."

That drew a silence so pregnant with disbelief that, for a moment, Vegeta regretted his words. The feeling lasted only for a few seconds and it left him feeling defiant. "What are you saying?" Elder Oshinko asked, face red with anger. "Should we throw out several millennia of traditions just because a young, no-nothing king suggests that we should?!"

Vegeta's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I've suggested nothing. I am king here!" He stood up and leaned forward, bracing his arms on the table. Lowering his voice, he spoke with finality. "So shall it be written, so shall it be done."

Afterward, when all the men had departed in various states of unrest, Bardock approached the king. The two of them stood silently for a moment, each consumed with their own thoughts, until Bardock felt that he had the best words chosen. "Going this route with the government has a chance of working. Our people have been shown that the old ways no longer work, but still need convincing that the new ways are better. You're young and the elders may not listen, yet what you say makes a lot of sense."

"I am still king, Papa. My word is law."

"If you want to have people vote about things, your word is no longer final. Think about that for a little while." He briefly clasped his shoulder and left the room.

He took his advice and sat down to think. Could he give up the ultimate power of a king and be satisfied with the power of a lesser ruler? Could he handle a majority ruling on a decision if it was one he would not have made? Would the Saiya-jin themselves even go for this type of democratic government? Vegeta thought about it long and hard. The class system of old Planet Vegeta was still what most people based personal worth on. The third class would not be considered equal to the first class in any way, yet they were all of the same race. Would the three classes of Saiya-jin work together to make society a better place for them all?

'_Saiya-jin just aren't capable of equality,_' Vegeta said to himself. '_We prey upon those of the lower class because they are weaker than us in power. It wouldn't matter that they're strong in other ways. The old governmental beliefs are just too ingrained within us all._' It couldn't work, Vegeta realized, the others wouldn't allow it.

In his heart Vegeta knew that he was doing the right thing. Convincing others of that could be a problem, however. Bardock was the one he usually went to for help, the only person he could trust. This time, though, he felt that he had to solve the problem on his own.

***

Why does someone who is obviously not of his family get special privileges from his father? When they were all captives on Furiza's ship he wasn't even noticed. Standing behind the crowd of Saiya-jin in the cell, he quietly observed a positive relationship that had never been present between Bardock and himself. How had a short ass prince become that close to his father? Raditzu had memories of a cold-hearted fighter who'd never spent time with his son. That was how Saiya-jin relationships were supposed to be; it was how they'd always been.

Now it seemed that things were changing. It could be argued that the true change had begun when the former king allied himself with Furiza. Certainly that was when they'd started sending infants off to distant worlds. Yet the destruction of Planet Vegeta also marked the beginning of change. The Saiya-jin had to adjust to being without a home and to wandering throughout space.

Raditzu, at first, had resented his father. After all, Bardock had boarded a ship with the prince instead of his own son. Years passed, his heart filled with hate, and suddenly he missed him. Missed the sparring they used to do, missed the guidance -- he even missed the harsh words! He didn't know how to repair their relationship, but Vegeta's new inheritance of rule suddenly made all things possible. Here was a chance to deviate from the accepted Saiya-jin social behavior and love his father. The king was doing it, why shouldn't he?

"What are you thinking about?" asked Houren, Raditzu's best-friend. He had known him for as long as he could remember and, although most Saiya-jin could never claim friendship with anyone, they'd grown close. "Your face went from pissed to thoughtful very quickly."

"I was thinking about my father and how Vegeta's stolen his attention." Fist clenching, he felt anger rise within him once more. "Why is Bardock being so kind to him? He's not even his flesh and blood!"

Houren shook his head at his friend's irrationality. "Bardock's spent seventeen years around Vegeta and only eight around you. He doesn't even know anything about you anymore. Familiarity is not determined by blood alone."

"It's still not right, Hou. Vegeta isn't his son!" The fists came down hard onto the table and then his hands opened. "When he sees my little brother again, will they be closer than he and I?"

"You and Bardock have *_never_* been close. Why is that bothering you all of a sudden?"

Raditzu thought about it and could not come up with an answer. "I've never needed attention from anyone before."

"I'm going to tell you what's going on. You really could care less about Bardock noticing you but you also can't stand it if someone else gets his attention. It's like you don't know what you have until it's gone."

Unable to sit any longer, Raditzu began to pace the room. "What do I have to do to stop feeling this way?"

"Accept the fact that your father is a weird Saiya-jin and actually cares about people." He grinned. "Actually, I don't have a clue. That's something you're going to have to figure out on your own."

"Some help you are," he grumbled even though he knew that Houren was telling the truth.

The sound of many feet running down the hallway made the two young Saiya-jin tense up. "What the hell is going on out there?" Houren asked loudly.

One woman paused in the doorway and rolled her eyes. "King Vegeta has an announcement and those retards are acting as if he's dying or something."

"Vegeta," Raditzu spat out like a curse. "Little bastard."

"Hey, if he hears you talk about him like that you're probably gonna get the shit beat out of you. Look what happened to Sukatshu and he only said something about Bardock!" She shook her head. "You're walking on dangerous ground, kid."

Growling, he left the bedroom he shared with Houren. "I don't care if the ground is littered with broken glass, he is what he is."

"Rad, she's right. You talk about him that way when people can overhear, the consequences are gonna be bad."

Glaring at him, he stalked down the hallway. "You say that like I give a damn."

Houren knew that nothing good could come from his attitude. If Raditzu didn't tone it down, eventually the king was going to find out.

And then there would be hell to pay.


	10. Ghosts from the Past: Chapter 10

**Age of the Empire**

**_The First Tale of Shukumei: Ghosts From the Past_   
Chapter 10**

"First, second, and third class Saiya-jin, I have important news. In just a few days we will be coming upon the frontier planet of Chikyuu, but, unfortunately, we have no plan of action. I wish to ask you, the people of our new empire, to decide what we will do." Vegeta paused a moment to guage the reactions of his people. Most were intrigued. "Option number one: we can go into unknown territory in all of our aggressive might and probably be cut down where we stand; option number two: we can attempt to negotiate with something that we probably do not have; or option number three: we can ask them for assistance. I leave you now to vote on this matter. You have five minutes." He turned away from the screens that displayed the bridges of three ships, and left the room.

Bardock was waiting outside. "You're changing the course of history, Vegeta."

"I don't have any other choice." He folded his arms and leaned back against the wall. "Either we alter the way we do things or fail immediately from the start. Society was fucked up back on Vegeta, both you and I know that. I may have only been six years old, but I remember the protests outside the castle. I remember the weekly assassination attempts. I remember fearing revolution." He frowned at the older Saiya-jin. "You have no right to treat me like an ignoramus. After all, I know more about how the government works than you do."

"Would it surprise you that I was only making an observation?" He patted his shoulder and walked off down the hall. "You know what I'm voting for."

Vegeta stared at his back, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Did he just compliment me?" A grin. "I think he did."

The five minutes went by quickly and soon (almost too soon for his tastes) Vegeta was once again before his people. "Daikon, what are the results?"

Frowning at a piece of paper, the stocky captain of the first ship to leave Planet Vegeta spoke, "Twenty-five for option one, ten for two, and seven for three."

"You seem annoyed at them," Vegeta commented. "What's wrong?"

"Permission to speak freely, sire."

"Granted."

He glanced once at the small crowd behind him and blew out an explosive breath. "These idiots voted for option number one, something we can't possible survive. How many people live on the planet, King Vegeta?"

"Around two billion."

"You see! If that option wins, we're all going to die!" Daikon glared at his crew. "What have you got to say for yourselves?"

For a moment there was only silence. Then one man spoke up. "I would rather die fighting than live with the knowledge that we begged for help."

"I felt that way too, at first," Vegeta told him. "Then I thought of the children who would have no life. Dying so quickly on Chikyuu would serve no purpose. It may be different for you, but I don't want to be remembered as a foolish warrior." He motioned to Nanka to move onward to the next ship. "Results, Nashi."

"May I ask a question first?"

He sighed. What was with all the sudden questions? "Go ahead."

"Would the results make any bit of difference? Are you just allowing us to think that we have any input in the way you run things?" His fully-white mustache twitched slightly as he pursed his lips. "This is highly unorthodox."

"Why would I waste everyone's time by asking this of you?!" Vegeta's voice rose of its own accord. "Don't you think I have better things to do than listen to voting results?"

There was a brief pause until Nashi realized that his king's questions weren't rhetorical. "It's not my place to wonder, sire."

"Just give me the damn results."

"Right away, sire. Ten, one, and thirty-six."

Dark eyebrows rose almost even with his widow's peak. "That was unexpected," he said. "Is there a large amount of elders on your ship?"

"No, sire. Mostly young ones barely into adulthood. They've never seen real battles before so that's why they hesitated to select option one."

The other two sets of results were remarkably similar to those from ship number two. Option one had a total of fifty-six votes, option two had twenty-six, and option three had eighty-one. Secretly Vegeta was glad things turned out the way they did. He would have hated to overrule the decision after all the preaching he'd done.

"It's settled, then. After we land on Chikyuu we'll request help. That way we'll gain allies instead of enemies."

"Hooray for us," Beibak muttered. He never saw it coming. One minute he was glaring at the radar screen, the next he was lying on the floor beside it. He looked up into the annoyed eyes of his king and knew fear.

"Do you know how tired I am of you?" Vegeta asked in a surprisingly conversational tone. He crouched beside the other man, fingers reaching out to touch the growing bruise on his jaw. "Imagine if my fist had connected with some other extremely tender area." His eyes slowly moved down Beibak's torso until they landed on his groin. "I bet I could've made you cry."

A small incoherent sound left his throat as Vegeta's hand moved. Instead of doing him the ultimate injustice, however, the king stood and turned away. "I will spare your manhood, but next time you won't be so lucky."

Bardock nodded approvingly as the two of them departed. "Now that was a threat worthy of Furiza."

"What threat?" he smirked. "That was a promise."

  
It was early afternoon when the shining blue sphere of Chikyuu came into view. The four ships slowly approached it, the faces of old and young alike pressed against windows. Bardock smiled on the bridge, happy that his vision seemed to be correct. Several puzzled glances were sent his way, but none were seen by the soldier. His gaze was fastened solely on the last hope for the Saiya-jin race. 

"ETA, Orenji." Vegeta commanded.

The navigator did a few quick calculations in his head. "If we keep going at this speed, we should reach Chikyuu in ten minutes." He continued before Vegeta had even opened his mouth again. "We'll use up too much fuel if we go any faster and that'll be a problem when we try to land."

The king gestured and left the bridge. Orenji stared after him, a puzzled look on his face. "That means keep doing what you already are," Bardock translated. "You know the king is a man of few words. Most of the time, anyway," he amended after a moment.

Vegeta hated not being able to go faster, it gave him too much time to create scenarios inside his head. What kind of reception would they receive? Certainly the people on Chikyuu could detect ships entering their atmosphere. Would they be curious or would they see them as a threat and try to eliminate them as soon as possible? There had only been scant information about the planet, mostly demographical statistics, and none of it told him what he needed to know. Sure, knowing the population totals and structural makeup of the planet was helpful, but without knowing what sort of mentality the people had, he couldn't even begin to imagine a reaction.

'_I'm probably just worrying too much,_' he said to himself. '_If it's just a small group of humans then we can take them without a problem._'

What if the humans had weapons? Powerful weapons of great destructive might? What would he do then? As a matter of fact, they couldn't even kill a few of the humans that threatened them. Eventually more would find out and that'll most likely bring out an entire army to neutralize the new threat. What's left of their race would be wiped out before they could even begin anew.

Vegeta cursed his overactive formerly-dormant imagination and tried to find something to take his mind away from things. There was always Kyuuri's teddy bear. Bardock had taught him to sew two nights ago and it was slow work. The needle was made of bone and, because it was straight, it was pretty hard sewing around the bear's appendages. So far he had the right leg reattached and was half-way through the left one. Often he wondered why he was repairing Boo-Boo in the first place and, each time, he received the same response from his brain.

Because you don't want to make her sad.

The words always made him pause for a moment. When did he begin to care about other people? When? But his brain was silent, it had no answer to this question. '_When I ask idiotic things, it always has a response. When I need to know something important, I get nothing. Damn it._' He blinked and his hand paused in its task. '_Isn't having conversations in your head the first sign of insanity?_'

He finished the leg a few minutes later with only a few mistakes along the way, and leaned backward to recline on his bed. There would be much to do for the first week as it would determine whether or not they could resurrect the stability of their former society. Most nights would be spent hunched over policy, critiquing many drafts before creating an official copy. He would have to appoint people to help him, people whose wisdom could guide his hand. Of course Bardock would be one of those people; Vegeta had found his counsel invaluable over the years. He was a man who'd seen numerous horrors and refused to let the mental scars fracture his spirit. Instead, the experiences strengthened the warrior and gave him the knowledge to prevent those things from happening again.

Suddenly, the answer to his previous question hit him. When did he start to care about others? When Bardock began to care about him. It took the fatherly love of one man to erase the apathy his biological father helped to implant within him as a child.

There was a knock on his door. "We're descending, Vegeta."

He placed the bear onto his bed and left the only place he could truly call his own. There would be new places in the future, but he would always remember fondly the tiny cabin on a ship called _Survivor_.

Vegeta paused after he shut the door, a multitude of words tumbling throughout his mind. Finally he just placed a hand onto Bardock's shoulder and gave one of his rare smiles. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Just... thank you."

  
They found a vast field to land in, the four ships just barely fitting. By unspoken agreement the king himself was elected to be the first to set foot onto the soil of their new home and Vegeta did so after giving a short, moving speech. 

"So, where are we?" Orenji asked, feeling completely clueless. It was a feeling that drove him crazy. As the senior navigator on Planet Vegeta, it was his job to know their present and future location at all times. "Does anyone have a political map?"

The other three navigators, looking nearly as annoyed as he, shrugged. "You know as well as we do that there's only an image from space," one answered.

"We'll set up camp here and I'll send scouts out in search of other intelligent life." Vegeta divided everyone into three groups: the able-bodied, the handicapped, and the children. Most of the warriors were sent out to secure the perimeter or to search for humans, but some stayed behind to protect those preparing camp. It was mid-afternoon by the time they'd finished and the scouts were just returning. Frustration was the only thing they'd gained.

"We found a small farm about five miles away," Gurepu started, "and I knocked on the door. The woman who answered took one look at us and fainted!"

Another scout continued where his companion left off. "We left Kabu to take care of the woman while we searched for other people." Here their faces grew red. "The farmer found his wife and thought we'd hurt her so he chased us off his property with a pitch fork. Humans are strange people."

"So let me get this straight," Vegeta tried to keep his amusement from showing but he didn't think he was very successful. "You couldn't ask for information because an enraged human male came at you with a farming implement?"

"We couldn't hurt him, you know. That would completely defeat the purpose of option number three." Kabu was indignant for a moment until he realized that his king wasn't really angry. A wry smile crossed his lips and everyone within hearing range exploded into laughter.

A beeping nose suddenly made itself known to a small group of warriors that were shooting dice. A man pressed the button on his scouter, one of the few devices that had survived the collapse of their empire, and marveled at the levels he saw on the lens.

"Uh, King Vegeta?" he said in a voice filled with awe. "I've got some pretty strong life-forces heading towards us."

"Look at me," he commanded, mind already formulating a plan. "Are any stronger than mine?"

"Only one, sire." Yet one was more than enough. Vegeta was the strongest of all their warriors. "It's about three hundred higher."

At Vegeta's word they all scattered, warriors surrounding their makeshift village to protect those unable to do it themselves. Silence fell upon them, all anxiously awaiting the arrival of the unknown warriors. Two minutes passed and then five, until ten minutes later dots appeared in the sky above the horizon. The few specks grew into several larger shapes that eventually turned into what looked to be four humans, a clown, and a not-so-jolly green giant. Before anyone could even wonder about this unusual group of people, they were upon them.

"Alright people listen up!" Vegeta said loudly. "We're gonna talk first, okay? I know that's very un-Saiya-jin-like, but I don't think we have a better choice."

The people dropped down into the small forest just a few dozen feet to the east of their village. For a moment nothing happened and then the leader of the group emerged from the trees. Bardock froze, completely stunned, and only one word dropped from his lips.

"Kakarotto..."

**OWARI**


	11. Little Child Found: Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Standard ones apply.

**Author's Note:** You don't have to read "Ghosts from the Past" before this fanfic since it has little to do with the other one.

**Information Note:** Most of my info about wolves came from The Wolf Recovery Foundation (forwolves.org).

**Warnings:** Angst, death, violence, alternate universe.

**Acknowledgements:** A big domo arigatou to Madoka for catching all of my goofy mistakes as my beta reader and to everyone who gave me advice. I also want to thank all of the reviewers and the people who took time to read this fic.

**Summary:** One day, a mother wolf stumbled upon a strange creature. It appeared to be human but was not. She took it in, unable to bear leaving the helpless little thing alone, and raised it as her own. Yet he does not fit completely into her world and she would do anything to see him happy -- including giving him over to a human for care.

* * *

**Age of the Empire**

**The Second Tale of Shukumei: Little Child Found**

**Chapter 1**

The sun rose and bathed the deep green field with its faint yellow glow. White flowers swayed gently in the light breeze and the grass rustled slightly with the passing of small animals. It was now the third month of summer and the day's temperature was already rising.

He crouched in the knee-deep grass and extended his senses to the world around him. The boy could hear the soft breathing of his nearby brother as well as various noises from the birds and insects. It was so hard for him to remain so quiet and it hurt that it came so easily to everyone else. Why wasn't he as graceful as the others? Why wasn't he so stealthy, so silent, so efficient, so deadly beautiful? He tried his best, but it seemed that his best just wasn't good enough.

Just a little closer... There! He was rapidly closing the gap between them, nearly beside his brother in the tall grass, and no sound had been made to alert his prey. The boy inched forward and reached out with small hands. Just a little bit further.... Not again!

The wolf cub sprang sideways, tongue lolling from his mouth. The boy allowed himself to collapse face-down onto the grass as his brother ran around him in circles, yipping in triumph. He'd really tried this time but, once again, had not succeeded.

What was wrong with him? He knew that he was different from everyone else, it was all too easy to spot the differences between the wolves and the boy, easy to notice that they were not of the same species. In the beginning things had been... hard. The other wolves were so wary of his humanoid appearance, naturally equating the word "human" with "danger". But there was nothing they could do about it, not really. It was by the will of the alpha female that he remain among them, and she had taken control of the pack after her mate was killed by hunters the winter before.

He rolled over onto his back and stared up at the blue sky. If he could have any wish in the world it would be for him to fit into his family, for him to be the same as they are. Oh, he supposed that there were good things about his body being the way that it was. Using his forelegs to grasp objects certainly helped when his long furry tail misbehaved and became caught between things. The tail itself was like a fifth appendage and was able to lift weight to a certain extent. No one else's could do that.

The boy was shaken from his thoughts upon hearing the familiar howling of his mother. He answered as best he could and started off toward home. It was unusual for her to call him so early in the day.

As he drew closer to the cave, he saw the gray-colored female wolf waiting for him with his other brothers and sisters. None of the other pups had really taken a liking to him though they willingly shared body heat during the cold winter nights. It could be said that it was more for their benefit than anything else. The pups were so much smaller than the boy that they were entirely surrounded by warmth while he still had quite a few areas exposed to the cold.

The strong, healthy adults of the pack were gathering nearby in preparation for a hunt. Wondering just why he was called back, the boy turned questioning eyes to his mother. She nudged him in the direction of the hunters with a soft whine. He was to join them today.

As he attempted to follow his favorite sibling, the little male wolf cub was grabbed by his mother and brought back to the others. There were still at least three more months before they were able to join the adults.

With a happy smile, the boy joined the hunt.

***

Not having ever seen the wolves in action before, the boy had no idea what to expect. The group trotted along at five miles an hour through the forest and the boy was easily able to keep up with them. He'd always had a high amount of stamina so the pace his elders set was really no problem at all.

A few hours in, a large group of sike deer were spotted grazing in an open field. They seemed to be easy targets, requiring no extra effort to kill enough of the elder animals to feed the hungry pack. Moving quietly towards them, the five adults carefully took position by the weaker of the lot. They did not kill the healthy animals and, by focusing their sights only on the aged, injured, sick, or young, they kept the herd healthier as a whole.

The lead hunter let out a deep growl that set the deer herd into motion. Attacking only those that lagged behind, the wolf hunters made off with a good amount of meat. The boy, though, was unable to even catch a youngling. So he was forced to share with an adult female who had a surplus and that caused him to feel a great deal of shame.

His mother immediately noticed the downcast look of her cub and figured that his first hunt had not gone well. It was so important for him to be able to hunt on his own when she was no longer around to take care of him. With the realization that he could not survive in the wilderness alone came the bitter knowledge that she must take him to one who could care for him correctly. The alpha female had always known that he was not of her world, but had hoped that he could adjust. 

It was not to be.

The boy felt like allowing the misery to devour him like a great beast. He curled in the corner of their den and let the hot tears drip down his face. When he was, at last, completely cried out, the alpha female nudged him with her cold nose. She looked back towards the entrance of the cavern and the boy's eyes followed. With a quiet bark, she led him towards the mouth of the cave and out into the bright afternoon sunshine.

Two of the weaker elders herded the pups back inside the cave as their mother lead the boy through their land and to the edge of the unknown. A small house sat in a clearing, small white puffs of smoke emerging from the chimney, and a carefully tended garden in the back. He stood just on the edge, confused, until his mother pushed him gently forward.

Tears once more flowed down the boy's chubby cheeks as he kneeled beside his mother and wrapped his arms around her neck. The alpha female licked his cheek affectionately then, once again, prodded him forward. With one last look, she turned and vanished into the forest.

What was he to do? His mother left him all alone to fend for himself. There was no prey that he could catch and no shelter that he could build. It seemed to him that she considered him too weak for her to bother with, and made a decision to leave him in the forest for nature to deal with. Just as he'd abandoned all hope of survival, the front door of the small house opened and an old man with a long, thick white mustache poked his head outside.

"Well, what do we have here?" he queried with a kind smile. "A little boy!"

As the strange little man came closer, the boy took steps in the opposite direction. He knew that creatures such as this often had nothing but ill intent. His mother had taught all her children at a young age to stay away from humans. Yet -- the boy looked down at himself -- he appeared to be human as well.

So he stopped his backward movement and stared upward in curiosity at the man.

"I'm not going to hurt you, son," he said quietly as he crouched down to the boy's level. "My name's Son Gohan. What's yours?"

Dark eyes blinked once, but that was the only response he received.

Concern darkened Gohan's eyes. "First things first: we see about some clothes for you. Can't have you running around naked all of the time." He led the still-wary boy to the small, round house.

The house was simple in both design and furnishings. It consisted of only three rooms: a bedroom, a bath, and a combination kitchen/living room. Gohan led the boy to the bedroom where he located a small enough shirt to fit his slight frame and then proceeded to fill the drum outside with water drawn from a nearby stream. As he set the small logs underneath the metal container afire, he discovered a small problem. "You're a bit too small to be in there by yourself, aren't you?"

The boy cocked his head to the side and tried his best to understand what the old man was saying. The sounds that came from Gohan's mouth were unintelligible and completely foreign to the young child. He had heard nothing like them in all of his eight years on Planet Earth. His world had been filled with the barks, whines, whimpers, growls, and howls of his wolf family. Those canine utterings were all he had known.

Soon the water was hot and Gohan doused the flames. Stripping bare, he carefully lowered himself over the side and into the relaxing warmth of the bath water. "C'mon over, son. The water's fine." He smiled and beckoned him forward with his hands. "You know, we *are* going to have to eventually come up with another name for you. Do you have one already?"

Again, there was absolutely no response, but the boy did come to the edge of the drum. He allowed Gohan to place him in the water, and made small noises of delight when the old man poured a small capful of bubble bath inside the drum. Playing happily in the bubbles, he almost didn't notice when Gohan began to wash the accumulated dirt and grime from his body.

"It's as if you've never become acquainted with soap and hot water," the old man commented. His hand brushed against something furry and the bushy eyebrows rose nearly to his hairline. "Now, that can't be right. He's not old enough to grow hair down there..." He trailed off when the boy's furry tail emerged from the bath water.

"Why didn't I notice that before?" he asked in a bewildered tone of voice. "How can I *not* notice a monkey-like tail waving in the breeze?!" Gohan trailed off when the sodden appendage wrapped itself around his wrist. A smile made its way across his face and it was echoed by his young charge.

The bath continued with much laughter and splashing. The little boy, now thoroughly clean, was dried off and dressed in his brand new clothing. He tugged at the unfamiliar covering and his face twisted into one of distaste.

"I know that it's a little confining, but it really isn't proper for you to go around without clothing. You just have to get use to them..." Gohan's face lit up. "I have the perfect name for you, Little One! You shall be called Goku because, I suspect, you would do the name proud."

The remainder of the day was spent getting to know his new grandson. Goku was an unusual child, Gohan had to admit, never saying a word. At first he thought that he was deaf by the odd expressions that crossed the boy's face when his spoke, but then he would react to loud noises by covering his ears. Gohan eventually came to the conclusion that he was unable to speak for some reason or another. So, he settled down to teach him how.

"Ojiisan," he said as he pointed towards his body. "Goku," he said as he pointed towards the boy. Dark eyes watched Gohan's mouth shape the words and his mind filed it away for later use. Someday he would speak... but not today.

After dinner, Gohan tucked Goku into the bed beside his own. He told him that they would be going into town the next day to purchase a few things. "There is so much to see there, Goku. Very different from what you're probably used to."

Goku laid awake and stared upward at the ceiling. He'd seen so many new things that day, more than he ever had before. A sleepy smile played across his face as his eyes slowly closed. There would be even more interesting things tomorrow.

***

He jerked awake, heart pounding and breath coming in gasps. The boy could not clearly remember his dream, but knew that it had scared him like nothing before. He yearned for the warmth and reassurance of his mother.

Quietly pushing back the blanket, Goku got to his feet and tip-toed across the _tatami_ mats. He called to memory how to unlatch the door and successfully made it outside without waking Gohan. The old man had been an accomplished martial artist in his younger days so it had not been an easy feat.

Low branches whipped past his body and exposed tree roots threatened to trip him as he ran through the forest. The usual grace was abandoned, the want of his mother taking precedence over all else. Goku tripped and a sharp rock sliced his knee open, but he ran on. His lungs burned from lack of oxygen, but still he ran on. Just when he thought he could run no longer, the entrance to his family's valley came into view.

A bright, joyous smile made his eyes lit up. Fifty feet, twenty.... He slowed his pace and his body language spoke of wariness. Something was wrong.

The beta male, who never really liked him in the first place, growled at the boy, teeth bared and tail rigid behind him. Goku knew that the grudging welcome extended by the beta and omega wolves no longer existed. He was now an outsider and no better than the humans who sought to kill them.

Head bowed and tail dragging, Goku turned and went back the way he had come. There was only one place he could call home, one place in all the world where he felt even the tiniest measure of comfort and security. He would just have to make the best of a horrible situation, that's all. No use crying over the loss of family.

Goku covered his ears and clenched his eyes shut. Maybe that would block the haunting sight and sound of the beta's hostility.

***

Gohan awoke from a fairly pleasant dream with a sense that all was not right within his home. Rubbing his eyes, he rolled over to check on Goku and immediately noticed that he was gone. Hopping quickly to his feet, he grabbed his bo staff and followed the trail left by the boy's recklessness.

There was a small trail of destruction left by Goku's run through the forest that led him over two miles into the darkness of Meimori. When he began to hear a deep growling that seemed to come from everywhere at once, he hastened his pace.

His grandson was curled into a ball on the ground, ears covered and eyes shut. Not hearing the approach of Gohan's soft footfalls, he was startled when the old man placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Goku? Are you alright?"

Tears began to trickle down his cheeks and he buried his head into Gohan's chest. In-between small gasps of breath, he murmured, "Jiisan."

"You spoke..." the old man breathed in wonder. He ruffled the wild hair atop the boy's hair affectionately. "Let's go home."

For the remainder of the night, Goku slept soundly. It seemed that his nightmares were long gone. When morning dawned, he was already up and exploring the small home.

Human artifacts never ceased to fascinate the boy. There hadn't been anything like them where he'd lived before. People consumed food by first searing the flesh it and then serving the meal on hard, round discs. To eat, you had to use thin sticks of wood.

Washing was also done a very different way. No longer did he splash around in the nearest cold stream; his baths were now heated. A strange liquid was also used to create delicate bubbles that popped when poked by a finger.

Goku examined every nook and cranny of the house at least twice over before coming, once again, to rest on his mattress. Gohan was just starting to wake and he watched him quietly in the early morning light.

So, they were to go someplace today. What did a "town" look like, exactly? What was its purpose? Was it a place for "things", a place where they were stored and looked upon by curious small children? Or did it have a greater meaning?

After breakfast, Gohan dressed his grandson in a clean shirt much to the annoyance of the boy. He promised that, once inside the town, he would purchase him clothing that he approved of.

Wide-brimmed straw hat perched upon his head, and bo staff firmly secured to his person, Gohan and Goku started off down a old path that led away from Meimori. The town was ten miles away and it would approximately take them two-and-a-half hours to walk there.

When Goku began mimicking the humming that he did underneath his breath, Gohan came up with an idea for a game they could play that didn't require speech. He would do something, such as whistle, and the boy would, almost immediately, attempt to copy him. At first, Goku didn't understand what to do when his turn came, until he reached up to scratch his nose and saw Gohan do the same exact thing that is. The hours went by quickly with each trying to do their best to stump the other. Goku won when he succeeded in touching his tongue to his nose.

Heiwa was nothing more than one main street and a few shops. The total citizen population was about eight hundred and most were fourth or fifth generation. A few people were out and about early that morning, most pausing to stare at the strange child who followed behind the familiar form of Son Gohan. Goku was blissfully unaware of this as he took in the new sights, sounds, and smells that the town had to offer.

"This is a clothing store," Gohan said as he pointed to the sign above the entrance. Goku's nose wrinkled at the dreaded "C" word and he slowly began to back away. The mere thought of even more cloth confinement, no matter how colorful or aesthetically pleasing it may be, filled the boy with aversion. He loved the way the elements felt against his naked body and the way the earth felt between his toes. To take all of that away from him... was like taking away a part of himself.

But his grandfather wanted him to wear clothing -- and many people did on a regular basis -- so maybe it wasn't as bad as he thought.

The interior of the shop was cool and filled with gentle music. Only about two people were browsing among the racks and there was a young woman behind a counter in the back. She smiled warmly at Gohan but, when she spotted the boy beside him, it grew even wider.

"Oooh!" she cooed as she rushed over. "You're such a cute little boy! What's your name?"

"It's Goku," his grandfather answered for him. "I found him outside my house yesterday and decided to adopt him."

The girl ran her fingers through his spiked hair. "He's adorable, Son-san. How old is he?"

"I'm guessing around seven or eight," he examined the overwhelmed boy. "Hai, that's about right."

Goku tugged on Gohan's pants leg with a pleading look. "Jiisan...."

"Okay, Little One." He turned towards the girl. "I need clothes for him, something loose and comfortable."

She led them to a rack of children's clothes and quickly gauged his size. "I think I have the perfect thing for him..." Pushing several items aside, she pulled out a navy blue sailor suit. "Perfect for a little boy."

Goku's eyes grew wide and he turned his head away. Gohan chuckled. "I don't think he likes that very much. How about you pick something for yourself?" He gently pushed him towards the rack.

Majority of the clothing was pushed aside, especially those that involved short pants or bright, eye-searing colors. Then, just as he was about to abandon his search, he saw it. Between a pale yellow shirt and a pair of lime green pants, there was a light blue gi with a white sash. Goku removed it from the rack and examined it carefully. It looked to be something that he could get along with, but looks were deceiving at times.

"Would you like to try it on?" the girl asked. "The dressing rooms are over there, honey."

A few minutes later, a completely different boy emerged. No longer was there a frown on his face, he seemed quite pleased with his choice. He grinned and patted the gi approvingly.

"Great!" Gohan enthused as he led his grandson another part of the store. "Now, we need to find you a pair of shoes."

Shoes. Now that was a word he'd never heard before. Although he had no idea what they looked like (or even what they were for), Goku got the impression that they were similar to clothing... and that he would like them even less.

His hunch was absolutely correct. The first couple pairs of shoes pinched his toes something awful until Gohan found the right size. They were made of a soft fabric and were as dark as the night sky. At first, he was deeply set against wearing them, but then his grandfather whispered that he could go without when at home. So, Goku would only have to endure their torment for only several hours at a time.

Next, they made a trip to the grocer. Gohan grew or caught most of his food right at home, but things like rice, spices, and condiments he had to be purchased. With a promise that he wouldn't be long, he allowed Goku to remain outside so that he could look around.

"What's your name?" a small voice asked from his right. Goku looked around and then down at the curious little girl in the red dress.

"Name" was a word that he immediately recognized. "Goku," he said, confident that he was correct. It was what his grandfather called him, after all.

She smiled up at him. "I'm Asako. You're with Son-san? I didn't know he had a grandson."

Her words went in one ear and out the other, but her voice was nice to listen to. Asako chattered on about her mean older brother, her new bicycle, and her kitten, Mittens, before a stern-faced woman marched over and grabbed her by the hand.

"How many times have I told you about talking to strangers?" she asked as she pulled the child away. "It's bad enough that weird little boy is in town. You don't have to talk to him!"

"Okaasan," Asako protested, "he's not a stranger. He's Goku!"

"I don't care what his name is, you don't talk to him. In fact, don't even *look* at him. Do I make myself clear?"

She sighed. "Hai, Okaasan." Her mother nodded in approval and Asako cast a sad look in Goku's direction. The little girl hated to leave him all alone, but her mother demanded that it be done.

Goku sat on the dry, dusty ground and watched Asako be dragged away. He'd really gotten to like her in the short time they spent together and did not understand why she had to leave. He *did* know, however, that her mother made him very uncomfortable.

His grandfather came out of the store several minutes later and found the sad little boy drawing pictures in the dirt with a short stick. Goku looked up as he heard the bell above the grocer's door and Gohan could see the unshed tears glittering in his eyes.

"Little One, what's wrong?" he crouched beside him in concern. "Are you hurt?"

The gentle voice, that was meant to soothe, caused Goku to burst into tears. Gohan wished, not for the first time, that the little boy was able to say more words. Then he could find out exactly what was wrong. He wiped away the wetness on his cheeks with his handkerchief, all the while looking forward to the day when Goku's vocabulary was at the same level as the other school age children.

After making one more stop at the plant shop for a small bag of turnip seeds, Gohan made a stop by the house of an old friend. It sat about half-a-mile away from the center of town, surrounded by ornamental cherry trees. There was even a small pond in the back yard that attracted a large variety of water fowl.

"He's the current shicyou of Heiwa," Gohan explained as he knocked on the front door. "I met him when we were boys."

A servant answered the door with a shy smile. "Ohayo, sir," she bowed. "May I help you?"

"My grandson and I are here to see Seion-sama. Is he available?"

"Who, may I ask, is calling?"

"Just let him know that Gohan's here to see him."

The young woman asked them to wait in the entrance hall as she went to inform the shicyou that he had guests.

A small face peeked from around a doorway and grinned at the surprised boy. "Konnichi-wa, Goku-kun!" Asako stepped out and bowed politely to Gohan. "Konnichi-wa, Son-san."

"You've grown a lot since the last time I saw you, Asako-chan." He opened his arms. "Come give me a hug."

"It's really nice to see you," she told him. "Okaasan scolded me for speaking to Goku-kun before. He looked so sad when she made me leave. She won't do it while you're here."

Gohan sighed. "So that's why he looked so miserable. I wonder why Midori felt the need to separate you two."

"Who knows what goes on in my wife's head sometimes," Isei said as he descended the staircase. "Welcome, my friend. It's been months since I've last seen you."

"I've been infrequent in my shopping trips because old age is playing havoc on my system." He dropped his hand to Goku's head. "I have this little one, now. You should hear from me more often."

The shicyou frowned as he examined the boy. "He looks human. I would even go as far as to say that he was. But then I see the tail and everything changes."

"I think his tail is cute, Papa," Asako said. Then to Goku: "Can I touch it?"

As she reached for his tail, Goku pulled it out of her reach with a panicked expression. It was obviously a very bad idea.

"He's quite protective of it, sweetheart," Gohan explained. "Tails are pretty delicate." He pushed himself to his feet and followed Isei to his study. "You two play for a little while until we finish. I won't be long, Goku."

The kids did, indeed, play the entire time. Asako taught Goku how to play hide-and-seek, hopscotch, and jacks. Both were out of breath from a rather involved game of tag when Midori came across them.

"Seion Asako!" she shouted as she strode towards them. "What did I tell you before?"

The little girl stared unwaveringly in her mother's eyes. "He's Son-san's grandson and papa gave us permission to play together."

"I'll just have to speak with your father, then," she huffed. "Lunch his ready." Then she turned and walked stiffly away.

Asako helped Goku to his feet. "I'm sorry. She doesn't like you because you're different. C'mon, let's go eat."

Lunch was a very formal affair. Along the large table, that could easily hold twenty, sat only six people. Domestics were at Midori's every beck and call even after they'd served the meal. The woman ate little and talked much.

"Namiyo's husband imported a mink coat for her from Europe," she said with obvious jealousy. "When winter comes, she'll be the best dressed wife in the entire town."

"Midori, darling, the mink is an endangered species on that continent. I dislike the fact that an innocent animals have to die to make you high quality outerwear."

Kenji, the eldest, nodded in agreement. "He's quite right, Okaasan. Synthetic materials are much better."

She frowned at the teen. "I didn't ask you."

The rest of the meal was finished in silence, with only a few small attempts made by Gohan to strike up conversation. Midori disappeared immediately after emptying her plate, no doubt off to sulk about her lack of expensive furs. Goku and Asako went back outside to play.

A small black car pulled up to the shicyou's house about twenty minutes later. Goku watched a man dressed in black leather get out of the vehicle come over to where the two of them were sitting.

"Excuse me, little girl," he said to Asako. "I seem to be lost. Can you show me the way to city hall?"

Asako eyed him cautiously. He fit the description of "stranger" perfectly. So, as per her mother's instructions, she didn't speak to him.

The man grunted in annoyance. "I do think that you should show me, little girl." She got up to move away from him and he grabbed her arm. "It's for your own good."

Before she could cry out, he covered her mouth with his hand. Goku jumped to his feet and started towards the two of them, but froze when the stranger placed a knife against Asako's neck. "You come towards me and she's history."

Tears glittered in Asako's eyes as the man carried her to his car and tossed her in the backseat. Goku could only watch helplessly as the kidnapper left with his friend. As soon as he was sure that the occupants of the car couldn't spot him, the boy ran down the road after them.

***

"Is this Seion-sama?" asked a gruff voice.

Isei's bushy eyebrows rose. "Hai. Who, may I ask, is calling?"

"We are the Anei Samurai. Currently we are at your bank, preparing to rob it."

"N-nani?" he asked, completely shocked.

"Your daughter is here as well. She's such a pretty little girl."

The shicyou felt his blood run cold. "You have Asako? What do you want from me? What are your demands?"

"So many questions!" The man laughed chillingly. "The only thing we wish for you to do is allow us to rob your bank and give us safe passage out of town. Failure to do so will result in you having one less child to worry about. Do we have an understanding?"

"Hai, hai we do."

"Good." The man hung up and Isei wrung his hands.

"It's horrible, Gohan." He was nearly overwhelmed with grief. "Some group called the Anei Samurai have my little Asako. I'll gladly do what they ask so that she's safe, but there is no guarantee that they haven't already harmed her."

Gohan pursed his lips as a vague plan formed in his mind. "First, we need to get down to the bank and assess the situation. Then we will save your daughter."

***

The black car stopped at a large building where another was waiting. Asako was dragged into the marble-faced bank and Goku went around to the side and peeked into one of the large windows.

Two men, one short and one tall, stood guard over a small group of customers who'd been in the bank when the criminals took over. The tellers behind were filling bags with money from the vaults and the manager was attempting to plead with the leader of the gang. The large man casually whipped his gun across his face, knocking the terrified man to the floor. The hostages gasped and some began to whimper.

"Quiet!" he hissed as he paced back-and-forth. The robbery was taking far too long to complete and he was becoming impatient. The leader stopped mid-step and glared in the direction of the tellers. "If you're wasting my time on purpose..."

He received numerous negative responses. Satisfied, the man continued to pace silently.

A police car pulled up outside and many other officers arrived from the station by foot. The majority of them surrounded the main entrance while the rest split up to cover the side and the back.

The chief raised a megaphone to his mouth. "What are you demands?"

For a moment, nothing happened. Then the main doors opened and the leader came out with a squirming Asako in his arms. "You mean he didn't tell you? I have the dear shicyou's daughter. If you do not allow us, the Anei Samurai, to escape town with all of your money, the girl dies."

Twin sets of running footsteps approached the small group of policemen. The Seion pushed his way to the front, but stopped six feet away from the leader when the man placed a knife to his daughter's throat. His body trembled in fear for Asako and he struggled to remain outwardly calm. "Why are you doing this in the first place? What do you need the money for?"

"That," he smiled viciously at him, "is none of your concern. Call off your cops, shicyou, and your daughter will be fine." He retreated inside of the building and shut the door behind him.

Isei began to pace. "What am I going to do, Gohan? I'll go anything to get Asako back safely, but how do I accomplish this? That man doesn't look like a person who'd keep his word."

"Stay here and keep him talking. I'm going to go around to the back and save her."

"Good luck, Gohan," he said quietly as he watched him move away. Then he gathered up the tattered shreds of his composure and issued orders.

***

Gohan was almost on top of him before he noticed Goku crouching in the shadows between the bank and the next building. Gently, so not to startle the boy, he tapped his shoulder. "Little One, did you follow Asako? It's very dangerous for you to be here."

"Asako," Goku said while motioning towards the building. He took his index finger and pressed it to his jugular vein to show that she was held at knife point.

"Hai, son. The bad man threatened her life. I'm going to rescue her, but first I need you to find Isei and stay with him." He saw the blank look on the boy's face and sighed. He'd forgotten that Goku couldn't understand most of what he said.

Before he could attempt again to communicate his instructions again, they both heard the sound of gunfire and then a high-pitched scream. Goku did not hesitate. Taking a few steps backward, he broke into a brisk run and threw himself at the window.

"Goku! Iie!" Gohan shouted, but he was not heard. Glass shattered in an explosion of sound, the shards flying inward to land at the feet of the stunned hostages. The boy quickly looked around in search of his friend and found her lying motionless on the ground. He recognized all-too-well the immobility of death. It had laid icy fingertips upon a few of the elders of his pack.

He did not remember crossing the room, nor did he remember punching the burly man in the abdomen. It was all a blur up to the point when the leader raised the gun and pulled the trigger. Goku felt the bullet impact with the flesh of his chest and his hands immediately felt for the wound, for the blood. There wasn't anything to be found.

The leader gaped in shock that only lasted an instant. He, again, raised the weapon, but before his finger could move, Goku was on him. Gun knocked away, the boy attacked him with surprising a ferocity and strength that reminded them all of a cornered wild animal. It was only when Asako moaned and moved slightly that he ceased his offensive.

She wasn't dead after all. Goku stared in wonder as she slowly sat up and blinked in confusion. Everything seemed to fall silent and move in slow motion as her eyes caught his. Asako smiled and he returned the gesture.

"Police! Hands in the air!" Moment broken by the commanding shouts of the Heiwan Police Force, Goku looked at the window where he'd left his grandfather a minute before. The old man still stood on the other side of the wall, but there was a stunned expression on his face. The boy felt a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach. Would Gohan reject him now that he'd hurt another living being?

"You're quite a special little boy," Gohan said with a proud smile as he carefully stepped over the low windowsill. "Imagine saving the day all by yourself!"

Goku smiled as well when he felt the positive feelings coming from his grandfather. It seemed that the man was far from being upset. Well, Asako was safe and the criminals apprehended. That was the point of the mission, wasn't it?

Isei rushed in and ran straight to his daughter. "I'm so glad that you're safe." Eyes wet with unshed tears, he gazed at his friend. "Domo arigatou, Gohan. I can never repay you for what you've done."

"Well, I appreciate your gratitude, but I had almost nothing to do with Asako's rescue."

The shicyou blinked. "Nani?"

"It was little Goku here," Gohan said with pride. "He went in and kept the head bad guy down long enough for the police to arrest him." The followers had stood frozen in fear and awe of the little boy. They offered no resistance as the cops handcuffed them.

It was obvious that Isei was a wee bit skeptical. "It's true, Papa!" Asako said. "After I woke up, I saw Goku show that man who was boss!"

"Alright, then," Isei said as he crouched down in front of the boy. "Heroism should be rewarded. Name anything you want and it shall be yours."

When he failed to speak, Gohan answered for him with a sparkle in his eye. "I know of something that the little one would just love to have..." 

***

"It's as if he has a black hole inside of him!" Isei said in an awed voice. He and Asako watched Goku devour eight full meals and ten dessert dishes before settling back into his chair with a loud burp and a small, contented sigh.

"It *is* something, isn't it?" Gohan wiped his mouth and dropped the napkin onto his plate. "Food is his one true love."

The owner of the restaurant, who'd been hovering around their table ever since the waiters brought the third meal, wrung his hands. "Please don't tell me that the boy is still hungry. We don't have anything left for the other customers!"

Goku's answer was to yawn sleepily and pat his stomach. "I think he's satisfied for now, sir." Gohan told him. "Arigatou anyway."

They sat and chatted for a little while longer -- or rather Gohan and Isei chatted and the kids listened -- until the stars made their twinkling appearance in the night sky.


	12. Little Child Found: Chapter 2

**Age of the Empire**

**The Second Tale of Shukumei: Little Child Found**

**Chapter 2**

***

_Four years later..._

He'd been gone for nearly a month, leaving him all alone in a large, uncaring world. It was still mystery how he died and nothing Goku did brought the memory to light. He must have been there -- the boy didn't leave his grandfather's property often --, but Goku could not remember a thing.

  
_The boy ran to Heiwa that morning, Gohan's body in his arms. He'd always been strong and his grandfather's training had only made him even more so. Doctor Taniguchi took one look at the limp man in his arms and rushed him inside to the examining room._

_"Is he... Will he be okay?" Goku asked anxiously as the doctor checked his grandfather over._

_Taniguchi sighed and pulled out his notepad. Time of death: 6:25 a.m. He didn't want to break the twelve-year-old's heart, but there was no other choice. Son Gohan was gone._

_"He had several broken bones, many of them major. A rib punctured his lung about three hours before you found him." The doctor placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "There was nothing you could have done."_

_His lips trembled as he spoke words that would make everything real. "Jiisan's dead."_

_"I'm afraid so."_

_"Iie!" Goku shook Gohan's cold body frantically. "Wake up! Onegai, wake up!"_

_Taniguchi pulled him away gently. He'd seen many a family member fall apart at the death of a loved one and it never became any easier to witness. "Shh, Goku. It'll be okay. Do you have anyone to stay with?"_

_"S-seion-sama," he murmured softly. "Jiisan wrote it in his will. It's like he knew that he was going to..." His throat constricted and he was unable to continue. Goku exhaled deeply. "Why didn't he warn me about this if he knew that it was gonna happen?"_

_"I don't think he did, son. It was probably just a standard precaution. Seion-sama will take good care of you."_

  
A standard precaution. Right. There was something off about the entire thing. No, he didn't think that someone murdered his grandfather, but it wasn't a mere accident. Goku thought about this for a full week, going over it again and again inside of his head. He had no explanation for Gohan's death and felt that he never would.

Then, on the one-month anniversary of his grandfather's death, he found himself staring outside at the night sky. It was unusually bright and the forest below could clearly be seen from his upstairs bedroom window. The Seion family had graciously given him his own room and all the love he could ever want. Even Midori had warmed up to him after a while. He was eternally grateful to them.

"That must be the moon," Goku said in awe as he stared at the glowing orb. "I've never seen it outside of a book before." Usually he was asleep long before it made its appearance in the sky.

Suddenly his heartbeat felt thunderously loud in his ears and he could not turn his gaze away from the moon outside. He struggled with himself, trying to regain control. "W-what's happening to me?"

He remembered looking at the moon that night thirty days before. Everything was fuzzy beyond that point, but now he could feel the changes happen within his body. His tail stood straight out behind him like a bottlebrush and his pupils dilated as his body shifted and grew. Sensing that something monumental was happening, he jumped from the balcony and onto the ground below.

With a mighty roar, Goku turned his head to the sky. There was an almost uncontrollable urge to go on a rampage of death and destruction, but a growing sense of horror swallowed it whole. He could remember it all, every single thing that happened that day. The memories both sickened and shamed him. How could he enjoy killing innocent people? What had he become?

  
_"GOKU!" Gohan shouted as he ran outside into the yard. "Come back!!"_

_It was happening again. His grandson had transformed at the sight of the full moon and was currently uprooting every tree he came across. Gohan had always known that something was very different -- or very special -- about the boy. First he had survived years in a forest and, if that wasn't enough proof, Goku had a furry monkey-like tail._

_Before, it had been late enough in the night that the sun had begun to rise soon after the transformation. His little weremonkey had shrunk back down into his normal ten-year-old form and everything had been okay._

_But now, there was no chance of that happening; it was only eleven p.m. after all. A lot of damage could be done in nearly eight hours' time._

_"What in the world can I do? Destroying the moon seems like the best solution, but it's too far away..." He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice that Goku was gone until he was almost out of sight. "For such a large creature, he sure moves quietly."_

_He chased after his grandson for hours in an attempt to bring him back to himself, but nothing he did or said halted him. Desperate, Gohan ran up to the weremonkey and stood just a few inches from one furry paw._

_"Stop this right now!" he demanded as he rapped on the monkey's body with his knuckles. "I've raised you better than this, Goku!"_

_He looked down at the tiny figure curiously for a moment before raising one gigantic foot. Gohan's eyes widened in disbelief and he just barely rolled out of the way before it came down with a sharp movement that caused the earth to tremble. Sensing that nothing he could say or do would stop his grandson, he spun around and ran in the opposite direction. Goku, upset that his plaything was escaping, took off after him._

  
What came next made his heart fill with sorrow. "I killed him!" Goku shouted to the sky. He collapsed to his knees and pounded the ground with his fists. "I killed my jiisan," he whispered. "It's all my fault."

Lights snapped on in several rooms. One window was pushed upward and Asako leaned out. "Um, what are you?" she asked, not really afraid.

"Asako, don't you know me?" Goku raised tear-filled eyes to her face.

Her eyes widened in shock and she leaned over the sill so far that she nearly lost her balance. "Is that you, Goku?! Wow! What happened?"

Slowly moved so that he was kneeling and peered closely at the glowing sphere in the sky. "I think it's the moon. This happened to me before." His throat constricted at the thought. "That night...."

At first she was confused, but then it dawned on her. "This is the anniversary of Gohan-san's death, isn't it?"

Goku nodded and said sadly, "Hai."

"You didn't....?!"

As she trailed off into silence, the patio doors swung open and an angry Midori marched out. "Uh, oh," Goku muttered beneath his breath. She heard him perfectly.

"You change back to normal right now!" The woman demanded. "What would the neighbors think?" Gasping, she asked, "What would the president of the historical society think?" That was a club she'd been trying to join for quite some time. However, the women who belonged to it were even snobbier than she was.

"If I could, Midori-san, I would!" Goku's voice rose with frustration, the sound sending previously sleeping birds from the trees and small animals scurrying for safety. "I think I always change back when the sun rises, but why do I have control over myself?" The latter was a question he asked himself. The two previous times he remembered vaguely that it was like he'd been trapped inside his own head. When he shifted back to his normal form, he'd forgotten everything. Maybe his mind had been protecting him.

Sighing, he turned his back to her and looked up at the sky. "Gomen nasai, Jiisan. I never wanted to hurt you."

Isei patted one large leg in a comforting manner. "I'm sure he knows that you had no control over your actions. Bad things happen sometimes, but you mustn't let it defeat you. Good night, Goku. See you in the morning at breakfast." The angry woman only glared at him and went back into the house.

"G'night." Despite his foster father's words, he continued to brood.

Asako didn't want to leave the boy alone, especially not when he was feeling depressed. "Papa, can I-?"

"Hai, Asako-chan. Just be sure that you're in the house before your mother wakes." He smiled when she disappeared from the window and had a feeling that her presence would make a world of difference.

The ten-year-old girl quietly shut the sliding glass door and settled down next to her brother. "I don't think we have a blanket big enough. Will you be okay?"

He nodded with a something that resembled a smile. "Oh, sure. Fur's pretty warm. My tail never gets cold in the winter. Gomen for staying with me."

"No problem. You're my big brother, you know? I have to make sure that you're okay." Asako settled back against his chest and yawned. "Best pillow I've ever had," she said before closing her eyes.

Goku watched her sleep for a few moments before turning his face, once again, to the heavens.

***

There was a knock on his bedroom door just before lunch. He'd been normal when he woke that morning and was covered with Asako's bunny-printed blanket. Underneath he was completely naked. The thought of his little sister seeing him that way made him blush slightly, but he imagined that it must have been hundreds of times worse for Asako. He wasn't ashamed of his body, but he doubted that she'd ever seen a boy nude before that moment.

After a breakfast he didn't each very much of (which prompted the cook to place her hand onto his forehead to check his temperature), he went directly to his room. He desperately wanted to correct his mistake, but had no idea if it was even possible.

He laid down for twenty minutes before rising and going over the bookcase to remove his favorite keepsake from the middle shelf. It was his Jiisan's favorite knickknack, a shiny orange sphere that bore four red stars upon its surface. "Come in," he called as he gazed down at it.

"Otousan sent me to tell you that lunch was ready. Asako's helping Okaasan in the kitchen." It was Kenji, the last person he expected to be at the door. The young man looked curiously at the item in his brother's hand, his jaw dropping when he recognized it. "Where did you get that dragonball?!"

Goku looked up blankly. "Dragon *what*?"

Kenji moved closer, eager to get a better look at an artifact he'd only considered legend. "Dragonball. It's a magical item. Ah, you have the four-star ball."

"Hai. It was Jiisan's. He said he found it years ago."

"You have one! Do you know what this means?" It was pretty obvious that the boy didn't, so he went on to explain. "There are seven of them total and it's said that, once you collect them all, you can have one wish."

Considering the possibilities, his dark eyes lit up for the first time since before that fateful night one month ago. "Can it be for anything I want?"

"Nearly anything. As long as it's within Shenron's power."

"Then I want to wish that Jiisan is brought back to life." By reviving the elder man, he felt that he was setting things right. "How do I find the other six dragonballs?"

Kenji sighed. "Goku, I don't think that you can. They're spread throughout the world and it would take the rest of your entire life to search every single place. I was a little too excited before, it's my fault for getting your hopes up."

With absolute determination, he said, "I'm going to find the other six and bring Jiisan back. I don't care how long it takes." Goku went over to his closet and rummaged around for a knapsack. "Can you do me a favor and pack some food?"

"You're just a little boy!" he protested. "It's not safe for you to be running around looking for star-covered spheres that are nearly impossible to find!"

Goku stopped packing and stared at him. "Do you know how it feels to kill someone that you love? Well, I do. It's the worst thing in the entire world. I need to bring him back, Kenji, no matter how hard it's gonna be."

For a long moment the two of them silently regarded each other until Kenji headed for the door. "I'll prepare your food."

"Domo arigatou, Kenji. This means a lot to me."

He smiled weakly. "Just come back in one piece, alright? That's all I ask."

The boy nodded and returned to packing all his important things.

***

"By now Asako should have found the note," he said to himself. "Will she be mad at me? I hope Kenji can explain better than I could." Goku stuffed the last bit of his rice cracker into his mouth. He sat upon the stump of a large tree, legs swinging back and forth idly as he finished his dinner. Four hours he'd walked through the forest on the opposite side of Heiwa, not quite sure of where to go. The dragonball came without a map or instructions of any kind, it was if Shenron didn't want to be summoned. "Nothing will stand in my way," he vowed as he stuffed his things back into the knapsack.

Humming to himself, he started off down the small, worn road with a bounce in his step. He would get to see his jiisan again! Not today, or even tomorrow, but someday.

Just as the sun was starting to set, he heard a rumbling in the distance. It didn't sound like thunder, but he had no idea what else it could be. Dropping to his stomach, he pressed an ear to the ground. "Hmm..." The noise became louder and louder until it was very close. Then, just as quickly as it was behind, it was ahead. Goku stared at the motorbike and then quickly gathered enough wits to flag it down.

"Hey!" he shouted as he ran after the vehicle and its rider. "I need to ask you a question!"

Not hearing a word he said, the driver continued on down the road. Goku sped up and kept pace. "Excuse me!"

The person looked over and made a sound of surprise. They abruptly braked to a stop. "What are you doing?" the rider asked as the helmet was removed. She shook out her turquoise colored hair and raised an eyebrow. "How in the world did you keep up with me?"

"I'm fast," he said proudly. "Can you tell me how far the nearest town is?"

"If you're walking it will probably take more than a day. C'mon, kid, I'll give you a ride."

He grinned. "Honto? Arigatou! My name's Goku, what's yours?"

"It's Buruma, Buruma Briefs. Maybe you've heard of my otousan, Dr. Briefs. He's famous. Hang on tight, I go pretty fast."

"Nope, I haven't ever heard of him. Gomen." He grabbed her around the waist in a grip that nearly cut off her circulation.

"Um, Goku? Could you ease up just a tiny little bit?"

He quickly loosed his arms. "Oops, sorry about that." Buruma revved the engine and they were off.

***

The teen braked to a stop beside a store. "Do you have someplace to stay? A kid shouldn't be out and about alone. Especially at night."

"Hey, I'm twelve!" he said defensively. "You don't look _that_ much older than I am."

She smirked at him. "Well, I'm sixteen and that's practically an adult!" Buruma dropped the kickstand placed her hand onto his shoulder. "Look, Goku, you can stay with me for a while. I'm on a quest so we're probably gonna travel to places you've never even heard of before."

He nodded seriously. "I'm on one, too."

The main street of the town was little more than a few wooden huts with a narrow dirt road running between them. Very few people were around which was unusual since it was still pretty early in the evening. The tiny hairs on the back of Goku's neck lifted every time one of the villagers peeked out at him from a window or examined him as they passed by in the street.

"I don't like this place very much," the boy whispered to Buruma. "Something's not right."

"Come on, kid! I don't see anything wrong with- AH!" The girl jumped and shrieked in surprise. In front of her was a pale, terrified face of a young woman pressed against the window of a neighboring shop. Backing away quickly, she opened the door to the grocery store and quickly went inside. Goku wasn't very far behind.

She glared at his grinning face. "If you say 'I told you so' I'm going to hit you."

"Good evening, young ones," the elderly owner of the shop greeted. "You appear to be visitors to our humble town. Might I suggest that you leave as fast as you can before the sun sets?"

Goku stared curiously at him. "What happens after the sun sets?"

"Awful things. Frightening things." He stared past them and out of the window behind. "Evil things."

The sun sank fully below the horizon and darkness washed across the village. For a moment not a sound was heard from anyone inside or out, but then a low moaning swept across the area. It was similar to that of the wind, but soon took on several different mournful tones. Shivers ran up and down Buruma's spine and she found herself taking steps away from the door.

"What on Chikyuu is that?" she asked in a slightly trembling voice.

The shopkeeper flipped over the sign to closed and locked the door. "Why you should have never come. Follow me and I will explain."

Behind the counter was a doorway that lead to the living area above the shop. The entire upstairs only consisted of a bedroom, a sitting room, and a tiny bath. He turned on the light in the sitting room and gestured for them to have a seat. "I am Shinpi, the proprietor of this grocery. Things have not been right in the village for nearly a week. No one knows the reason behind the sudden appearance of these restless spirits, but every night they surround us with their wailing. The people cannot sleep and spend the daylight hours in fear of the approaching night."

"Has anyone tried to stop the ghosts?" Buruma asked. If she had to spend every single night listening to them, it would probably drive her insane.

"No one dares venture outside. The chief's oniisan went to question them on the second day they appeared. He has yet to return." Shinpi clasped his hands behind his back and gazed out of the window. Five misty, semi-transparent beings floated above the ground of the village square down the street. Three were adults, two females and one male, and two were young boys. They moved slowly in a tight circle around a stone well that sat in the center.

Goku moved to stand beside him. "I want to talk to them." Both Buruma and Shinpi stared at him in surprise. "Maybe I can get them to go away."

"Are you nuts?!" Buruma asked. "Iie, wait a minute. Of course you are." She drew him off to the side. "Goku, haven't you been listening to Shinpi? The last person who tried to talk to them went missing. Do you want to end up like that... or worse?"

He remained resolute. "Ghosts don't hang around for no reason and they sound pretty sad."

"Alright, Goku." Shinpi said reluctantly after a moment of thought. "If you insist. Your friend and I will wait for you downstairs. If you need any help, scream as loud as you can. We'll come running."

They saw Goku off and he went down the street, marveling at how the village seemed completely deserted. Doors were shut and locked tight and the only sound he could hear was the wailing of the ghosts. Then, the curtains rustled slightly in a few windows and curious faces peeked around them. He waved to several people and received hesitant greetings in return.

The ghosts turned to regard him as he approached. "Hi," he said with a smile. "What's wrong?" Nothing was said, but two of the figures, one man and one woman, parted and created a gap in the circle. The boy stepped forward and looked around. "Is something here?" Then he leaned over the lip of the well and peered down into the darkness. Unable to see more than a foot inside, he leaned a little further and lost his balance. Goku could have sworn that someone pushed him over the edge but, when he landed on the dry bottom, figured that it was only his imagination.

He ran his hand through the sand. "This well's been dry for a while."

Not liking the fact that he was nearly blind, Goku felt around gingerly. The stone walls were cool to the touch and contained no cracks within his reach large enough for him to wedge his fingers into. "Oh, great. Buruma's never gonna let me live this down."

Goku looked up and saw the faces of the five ghosts looking down at him. The older woman pointed with her finger to a spot beside him. The other four were quick to do the same thing. Sensing that there was more going on than a simple haunting, the boy started to dig in the spot with his fingers....

....and got the shock of his life when he brushed the grains away from what felt like a bone. A rather large bone. A rather large *human* bone. A longer period of digging uncovered a complete human skeleton.

After his heart beat returned to normal, he looked up into the faces of the ghosts. "Was this someone you knew?" The wailing grew louder in response. "It was. How did they get a body down here to bury it?"

"Goku!" he heard Buruma call. "Are you okay?" She had braved her way past the ghosts and peeked over the edge of the well at him. "I can't even see you!"

"Can you get a rope and toss it down? I'm stuck down here!"

The girl disappeared for a moment and then returned with a long rope. She tied it around her waist in a knot to keep it from slipping and then grabbed it between her hands. "Grab on and climb up." She figured that he couldn't weigh very much.

When Goku began his ascent, she found herself being pulled very slowly back towards the well. Buruma dug the heels of her tennis shoes deeply into the dry soil and tried to remain in one spot. When it didn't work, she called for the shopkeeper.

"Shinpi!"

The older man hurried over to help her and, together, they kept the rope still enough for Goku to make it out of the well. "What did you find?" he asked the boy.

Goku looked sadly at the strangely quiet ghosts huddled in a group on the opposite side of the well. "The reason why they haunt your village. What can you tell me about them?"

"Their appearance coincides with the Fire Tragedy. I suspect that these are the ghosts of the family that died within the house." Shinpi led them across the square and down a short road to the charred remains of a once elegant two-story house. "Early last Thursday Katsu-san spotted it as she opened her window to water her flowers. She has daisies in a planter just outside. A little odd watering plants at four in the morning, but eccentric is her middle name." He smiled slightly at Buruma's impatient look. "Anyway, by that time the entire house was ablaze in brilliant orange flames. She ran to the chief's house to awaken him and soon the emergency bell was ringing. It took them hours to fully put the fire out, thank goodness it wasn't surrounded by other homes."

"No one survived?" Goku asked.

"Iie, no one."

He paced a few steps, turned around and paced several more. "That doesn't make any sense. If everyone died in the fire then whose body is in the well?"

Shinpi blinked. "Come again?"

"The ghosts told me to dig so I did. There are bones buried down there."

"That is why they circle the well," the man said with realization. "Well, that solves *one* mystery. Who kidnapped and murdered Seisha? She disappeared last month," he explained when he saw their confused expressions. "Her father, Shijo, vowed not to rest until the kidnapper was brought to justice. He told me one morning, five days ago, that he was very close to solving the mystery. The next day the house burns to the ground." He once again stared at the naked foundation. "This was no coincidence."

Goku nodded with understanding. "Tomorrow I'm going to look for the one who did this. They have to know."

"I will help all that I can."

***

The following day came sooner than Buruma expected. She winced as the bright, cheery light of the sun hit her eyes and threw an arm over them for protection. Slowly her ears started to pick up the slight sound of china clinking together and low murmuring.

"What time is it?" she muttered to herself as she opened her eyes. The watch read 8:15 a.m. "Too early for me."

A question captured her attention just as she was, once again, on the verge of slumber. "Who do I start with?"

"The chief, for sure. He has extensive knowledge of this village and all of its citizens. His house is at the end of the street, you can't miss it."

"Arigatou."

While the chief was usually knowledgeable about his village, in this case he was not. The small, wrinkled man never turned away from the small plot of soil he was digging in, but Goku could imagine the blank stare on his face. "I know nothing that could be of use to you. Personally, I am happy that he is gone. My itouto could be very irritating at times."

"But he just disappeared one day!" the boy protested. "Weren't you worried at all?"

"We didn't get along," was all he would say.

Questioning the man was a complete dead end. The next person, however, said something that made Goku think.

Katsu-san, a woman who was just approaching her senior years, was just heading off to visit a sick friend. She wore a floral print dress and a wide-brimmed straw hat that was tied beneath her chin with a pale pink ribbon. "Oh, konnichi-wa," she greeted with a smile. "How are you this fine day?"

Goku smiled and greeted her in return. "Can I ask you something?"

Pausing, she cocked her head to one side. "Hai?"

"Did you see anything weird the night of the fire? Shinpi said that you told everyone about it."

"I was so afraid that morning," she said. "You see, Rina and I were quite good friends. We both belonged to the ladies' club in the village. If only I had known that no one had gotten out of the house...." Katsu-san pressed her lips together firmly and regained her composure. "They have yet to catch the person who did this horrible thing."

"Katsu-san, I think that person's the same as the kidnapper. Do you remember anything else?"

"This may not be important, but I thought I saw a little boy playing in the forest near the house from the corner of my eye. When I turned to warn him about the fire, no one was there."

He thanked her for the information and went back to the grocery. His head was filled with questions. Had the woman really seen a child? If so, who was he? Had he seen the arsonist do his tragic work?

Buruma was wide awake and chatting with Shinpi as he did stock. "I met him on the road. It's pretty strange to see a kid wandering around alone. I wonder why he was out there."

"I'm looking for something," he told them both as he shut the door behind him. "My jiisan died last month and--" He looked down at the wooden floor in shame. "--I was the one who killed him."

"What happened?" the shopkeeper asked gently.

Goku's tail began to lash the air in agitation. "Something happens to me when I see the full moon. I change into this huge monkey and, and I kill." Falling silent for a moment, he remembered the emotions that coursed through his body the last time he'd transformed. First and foremost there was a restless urge to feel the blood of a living thing on his hands and to taste it within his mouth. As if that wasn't bad enough, memories of the animals and people he'd ruthlessly slaughtered in that form ran through his mind. Tears stung his eyes, threatening to fall. "Jiisan tried to make me come back to myself and it didn't work. Then I.... hurt him. He had this round thing that my niichan Kenji said was the 'four-star dragonball'. I want to wish jiisan back to life, but first I have to find the other six."

"You may have done this terrible deed," Shinpi began, "but I truly believe that you are attempting to atone. I wish you luck on your quest, Goku."

Buruma vanished upstairs for a moment and returned with a small pink backpack. "You can have this," she said as she pulled out the two-star dragonball. "I wanted to wish for the perfect boyfriend but, well, your wish is better."

His face lit up with delight. "Are you serious?! Domo arigatou!" Then proceeded to hug her in joy. The teen gasped and struggled in his strong grip.

"Goku... Can't breathe...."

"Oops!"

Shinpi took the dragonball from the teen's hand. "Exquisite," he murmured. "You know, I do believe I've seen something like this before." Two pairs of eyes, one set blue and the other black, locked onto his face with obvious interest. "I'm nearly sure that the chief displays one with two stars on his mantle."

"Maybe he'll give it to us if we ask really nice," Goku said.

Suddenly, Buruma became greatly interested in the village mystery. Surely they would be rewarded somehow after solving it. The moaning, miserable ghosts would be gone, after all. "C'mon, kid. We have a case to solve!"

Goku told her about the boy on the way to the forest. "I think Katsu-san really did see him and he'll know who hurt that family."

Surprisingly enough, there was a small boy was playing in the dark earth with plastic toy dinosaurs. He looked up as they approached for one moment, but was soon returned to his game.

"Hi," Buruma said quietly as she kneeled close to him. "How are you doing today?" When he didn't respond, she tried a different tactic. "What are you playing?"

"It's no use," a voice said softly from behind them. A thin woman with pale blonde hair and green eyes (who was wearing jeans and a tank top) approached and placed her hand on top of the boy's fair head. "He hasn't said a word since last Thursday."

The day made both Goku and Buruma's eyes widened. They whispered in unison, "It's him!"

The young woman gazed at them with a curious expression on her face. "What's wrong? Why are you staring at my son like that?"

Goku smiled gently at the little boy. "Can you tell me who did that to the house over there? You were there, weren't you." Pale green eyes filled with sudden tears and the boy looked up at his face. He looked over at the remains of the house and then back into the older boy's darker eyes.

His small mouth opened and a single word formed without sound. Then he spoke again. "Ryushi," he whispered.

"Excuse me?"

"Ryushi did it," he said louder. "He killed my friends."

The woman answered their unasked question. "Ryushi is Uchida-sama's oniisan. He was lost the first night the ghosts appeared." She looked down at the boy. "Mokugeki, are you positive that he was the one to commit such a horrible sin? It's possible that you may have been seeing things."

He shook his head violently and tears made watery tracks down his cheeks. "He killed them, Mama! Why?"

"I don't know," she told him as she offered comfort. "He may be punished for his crime soon, sweetheart. Very soon."

***

Buruma started to care more about justice than about rewards. It just wasn't right that someone as evil as Ryushi was still walking around as a free man. Something had to be done and it was up to them to do it.

"How?" she asked as they crossed the square mid-afternoon. "How will we do it?"

"I have no idea," the boy sighed. "He's around here somewhere, but where?"

Shinpi, being the wellspring of knowledge that he was, knew of a place where the man sometimes went. If he had, indeed, faked his disappearance then there was a chance he was hiding out there.

It was a small hut by the coast, an out-of-the way place that was nearly hidden by palm trees and large ferns. The two of them crouched in the thick plants after discovering that the place was empty (albeit appearing more than a little lived in) for nearly an hour before he returned with a medium-sized fish.

"He's really here. How do we drag him back to the village?"

"Do you have something better than the motorbike?"

"Hai."

"Then I'll take care of knocking him out and tying him up."

"You?! C'mon, Goku. Stop joking around."

"I'm not joking! I told you before that I'm not normal; why won't you believe me?"

"Okay, okay. Just don't get hurt or anything."

The boy nodded and dropped down to his belly, pulling himself across the warm sand with his elbows. After carefully checking to see if Ryushi was still oblivious, he waited until the man's back was turned and pulled himself into the hut through the open window. He made nary a sound as he landed on the worn wooden planks that made up the floor. Ryushi failed to notice Goku until it was too late.

"What the-?!"

Then he was down and quickly rendered unconscious. Eyes quickly scanning the room, Goku spotted a coil of thick rope piled beneath a table in the corner and used it to tie up his wrists and ankles tightly until there was no leeway between them. "Too easy."

"I've got to say that you did a professional job," Buruma praised as she admired his handiwork. "Houdini himself wouldn't be able to escape from that."

"Arigatou, Buruma."

The ghosts were in the square by the time they arrived back at the village. The citizens were absolutely fed-up (and driven just about to the brink of insanity). A good number of them stood just outside the square and angrily demanded that the ghosts leave them alone in peace. Buruma stopped the car beside the mob and hopped out.

"We know why they come here every night!" she shouted. "They only want closure!"

One woman rolled her eyes. "Of what? They're dead, remember? Ghosts are beyond the needs of mortal folk."

"Most of the time ghosts haunt a place because it holds some sort of significance for them," the Buruma explained. "In this case, it's the well."

"Why not the house? That's were they died."

Goku decided to take over the explanation for her. "There are bones down there, probably Seisha's. Someone buried her there. Then they burned down their house, maybe because her father knew who did it. We found the man for you." He opened the back door and pulled Ryushi's squirming form from it, dropping him unceremoniously onto his backside in the dirt. He'd regained consciousness about halfway to Kaijiken and hadn't shut up since.

"You can't prove a damn thing!"

The group collectively gasped and the ghosts all turned toward Ryushi with anger clearly written all over their faces.

"We were all under the impression that you had been taken, itouto." Uchida-sama asked with an expressionless face.

The younger man glared at the silently grieving boy who stood just to the right of his body. "This gaki dragged me back here against my will. I hate this village!"

Moving forward until he was mere inches away from his body, Uchida-sama kneeled down until he was staring into the other man's dark eyes. He held his gaze for a moment and then abruptly stood, turned away in his disgust. "Take him," he said to the silently waiting guards. "His trial will be tomorrow at noon."

His face slackened with shock. "NANI?! You believe the word of some kid over my own? I am your flesh and blood!"

The chief paused. "I will not associate myself with the likes of you. From this moment on we are not family any longer." Then he was walking down the road back to his home as the guards dragged Ryushi off to a holding cell. Goku's eyes followed the group saddened that things had to end this way. He knew that Seisha had probably been through a nightmare before she finally found peace, but he felt that no one deserved death. Not even Ryushi.

Goku turned to the five ghosts, happy that they would, at last, be at peace. "We have a witness, he won't get away this time."

The man approached him and laid a semi-transparent misty hand on the top of the boy's head and smiled. "Arigatou," he whispered softly.

A young woman materialized before the family, her semi-transparent body shimmering and her face happy. She extended her hands toward the middle-aged man and woman and the two took her hands in their own. Then, they pulled her to them as the other three family members gathered around and the entire group vanished completely from sight.


	13. Little Child Found: Chapter 3

**Age of the Empire**

**The Second Tale of Shukumei: Little Child Found**

**Chapter 3**

The next day Goku felt that he should move on now that everything was fine in the village (after acquiring the Uchida-sama's dragonball, of course). Over breakfast, he discussed a few ideas with Buruma and Shinpi.

"I guess we could ask for some kind of payment for helping out," he said slowly, "and hope that he tells us that we can have anything we want."

Shaking his head, Shinpi poured himself another cup of tea. "That won't work. The chief is not a very generous person. In fact, you would have more success if you were to steal it instead." The teen's face perked up at the thought, but quickly fell when Goku firmly shook his head.

"I'm not a thief," he said. "My jiisan wouldn't like it."

Buruma sighed. "We can just ask him can we have it, then. Hopefully he'll say hai."

As quickly as they could, the pair made their way down the street and to the village chief's neat house. Once again, he was working his garden. "Uchida-sama, can we have your dragonball?" Goku asked as politely as he could. "Shinpi-san told us that you had one in your living room."

"Describe it," he commanded as he dusted his hands off and rose.

"Well, it's about this big--" He held up his hands and demonstrated. "--, orange, and has red stars on it."

For a moment the man silently constructed an image in his mind and then rolled his eyes when he figured out what the boy was talking about. "Oh, *that*. It was my wife's. Achigo found it somewhere and kept it as a knickknack. You can have the tacky thing." Uchida-sama tensed slightly as he received hugs from two extremely happy adolescents.

"Arigatou!" they both chirped in unison.

"Um, you're welcome." He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "If you release me, I can get the dragonball for you."

They nodded mutely and he disappeared inside his home, returning a few moments later with the three-star ball. Goku looked upward towards the heavens as he took it, knowing that he was one step closer to seeing his grandfather once again.

***

Goku and Buruma looked at the sea of sand and sighed wearily in unison. "So, it's in there somewhere."

"Hai," the teenage girl nodded.

"Are you sure the radar's not broken?"

She glared at him, blue eyes narrowed dangerously. "I made it myself," was forced out between clenched teeth. "It's fine." Goku merely smiled at her serenely.

Pressing the button on the top of the radar, Bulma began to walk through the deep sand. "Follow me. I'll find the exact place and you get to digging."

"Why me?" the boy asked curiously.

"Because you're the strongest and you have the most stamina! Besides," she frowned at her hands, "my nails would probably break." Walking up a large hill, she started to go down the opposite side and tripped over something partially buried. Falling flat onto her face, the radar flew from her hand and slid down into a valley. "OW!"

Goku came running at her shout. "What's wrong? Are you okay?" Then he looked down and grinned. "You found the dragonball!" The six-star ball rested on a cushion of sand.

"Oh, great," she muttered as she brushed herself off. "I'm *so* happy for myself." As Goku picked up the orange sphere, she went to retrieve the dragonball radar. Just as her foot touched the bottom of the valley, it sank down into the sand up to the middle of her shin. "What in the-?" She screamed when the sand gave way beneath her and she felt herself begin to fall. "GOKU!"

He scrambled down the dry, shifting sand and made it to the edge just as she completely disappeared from sight. "Oh, no," he said to himself as he worriedly peered over the edge. "Buruma, are you okay?"

Her voice reached him faintly. "I just fell into a hole, Goku. OF COURSE I'M NOT OKAY!"

"I'm gonna use my staff to pull you up." Then he felt the ground starting to give way underneath his knees. "Oh, never mind."

"Nani?"

"I'm gonna be coming down there with you soon."

It was dark as pitch and fairly small in size. He had no idea how far he'd fallen, but was unpleasantly surprised to hit the ground.... head first. "ITAI!"

Buruma grinned involuntarily, knowing that he wasn't really injured. "Good thing your head is hard as a rock, kid."

"It still hurt," he pouted. He pushed himself up from the ground and began to walk in the direction of his friend's voice. The low sound of pain told him that he came a little too close. "Oops, gomen."

"Don't move," she told him as she rummaged around in her backpack. "I don't want you hurting me again." She pulled out a small flashlight and switched it on, the pale yellow beam illuminating a small triangular area in the darkness. The ground and surrounding cavern walls were made of pale limestone and there was a mountain of sand blocking the exit (having slid down the slope with the widening of the hole). Buruma's hopes sank and panic-stricken butterflies attacked her stomach. "We're trapped down here! I don't want to die so soon!"

Goku was worried but he had it under control. "This is a tunnel, right? We should see where it goes."

"W-what if it doesn't go anywhere?" she asked, her voice trembling ever-so-slightly.

"Then I guess we're just stuck, but it's better than waiting until the air runs out."

She had to admit that he had a point. The boy was handy to have around during a crisis.

The ceiling of the adjacent tunnel was so low that it caused Buruma to have to duck her head while Goku was still able to walk normally. After a while, her neck was starting to get a crick in it. That, in turn, made her irritable.

"This is all your fault, you know that!" she snapped.

He was startled by her words. "How? You're the one who went after the radar!"

"If you hadn't distracted me before, I would have noticed that damn dragonball! Then I wouldn't have tripped over it and we wouldn't be stuck down here!"

Frowning, he just shook his head. "Whatever."

Abruptly the tunnel opened into a large, round chamber. Large stalactites and stalagmites projected from the ceiling and floor, some even larger than the teenage girl. Buruma immediately stood up and rotated the stiffness out of her neck. "Oh, thank Kami." Her smile faded when she realized that the two of them were now faced with several decisions.

"Left, right, or straight," Goku mused. He turned to the older girl. "Do you have anything I can use? Like rope?"

She dug around in her backpack and produced a spool of thread. "What are you going to do with this?"

"Hold on to the end so that I can find my way back. Can you give me your flashlight?"

"But then I wouldn't be able to see..." Against her better judgment, she handed it over anyway.

Goku chose the left path and started to unroll the thread as he walked. The tunnel sloped gradually downward and leveled out after about twenty feet. Suddenly the ground dropped away into a deep pit. On the edge of the flashlight's beam he could see where the tunnel picked up on the other side. Unless there was no other choice, he would rather not have to deal with navigating his way across. Buruma wouldn't be able to handle it very well.

The middle tunnel ended at what appeared to be a dead end. Upon further examination the boy discovered small cracks in the limestone surface that he would be able to wedge his fingers into. Again, it would involve skills that he just didn't think his new friend possessed. Buruma was a city girl and therefore used to an easier life. Having grown up in the forest, he'd spent a fair amount of time climbing and developing stamina and strength.

The third tunnel was promising. It was relatively level and obstacle free. Goku went quite a ways before having to turn around and return to his friend.

"We can go down that one, but the easiest isn't always the best."

"It's better than the other two, right?" she asked as she wound up the thread. "Come on."

The walk was easy and also pretty boring to Goku. He found himself whistling a song that his grandfather had taught him a few years ago and it caused melancholy thoughts to surface. He sighed and forced his mind onto something else. "Where do you live?"

"In Western Capital. It's a big city that's pretty far away from here. It took me four days to reach Kaijiken."

"I lived in the forest," he told her. "First with my okaasan and then with my jiisan. After he died--" His voice held only a tiny hitch. "--I went to live in Heiwa with Seion-sama."

Buruma opened her mouth to say something else when a gentle vibration began beneath her feet. It rose in intensity and soon became an earthquake that would rate about a 3.5 on the Richter scale. Both of them were knocked from their feet and the teen cringed when she recognized the source of the tremors.

"Explosion above us," she forced out between clenched teeth. The girl looked up as if she were able to see who'd done it. Large pieces of limestone were breaking away from the ceiling and descending towards them at rapid speed. Goku pulled her free of the largest pieces and both of them ran back the way they'd come.

It felt as if the entire tunnel system was collapsing around her which was, in fact, partially true. The easy tunnel, the one that Goku was sure his new friend would be able to handle, vanished almost instantly beneath tons of solid rock.

Looking sadly at what used to be a very promising escape route, Goku sighed. "Just wasn't meant to be, I guess."

"What are the other two choices?"

"Either you hang or you climb. Which is better for you?"

She shrugged. "How deep is the pit and how tall is the wall?"

"Don't know and more than you would be able to deal with."

Longingly, she cast a look in the direction of the entrance. "I don't suppose you can dig really, really fast?" Then she answered her own question. "Never mind. That slope was so steep that more sand would just pour down here while you dug. Then we'd run out of air and suffocate to death."

"Okay. We'll go left."

Goku led her back through the tunnel and removed his staff from its sheath across his back. Buruma gasped when she looked over the edge and estimated the depth of the pit and then gulped when she saw how far across the other side was. There was a crack nearly three feet from the floor of the cavern and he wedged the staff into it, testing to make sure that it was secure.

"Bo staff extend," he commanded. "You have to grab on with your hands and legs before trying to pull yourself across," he explained. "It's not going to move."

It was approximately twenty-three feet from cliff to cliff and just about one-hundred feet to the ground below. To demonstrate, Goku held on firmly and started to make his way over the gap. "It's not that hard."

The teenager rolled her eyes. "Easy for you to say. You're strong and used to physical activity." Despite how much she said that she couldn't do it, the girl didn't have much of a choice. It was either pull herself across the pit, climb the wall, or die from lack of air or water. There was still a chance that neither of them would make it out. After all, both of the remaining alternate paths could lead to a dead end.

Buruma made sure the backpack she carried was fully closed and flexed her hands. "I can do this," she whispered to herself. "No problem." The boy was more than halfway across by the time she pulled herself up onto the staff. Firmly locking her legs around the magical wood, she slowly began the long journey. "I'm doing it!"

He hopped off at the end and began to cheer. "Just a little bit more, Buruma! You can do it!"

Everything was going fine until she made the mistake of looking down. Sweat broke out along her body and her hands slipped from the staff. "OH, KAMI!" Goku winced and shut his eyes, only to reopen them when he'd realized that the screaming had stopped. Buruma hung suspended by her legs, both eyes clenched shut as tight as they would go.

"Just reach up and grab the staff again, okay? Slowly."

Following his directions, she reached upward and strained to grab hold of the Bo staff again. Her abdominal muscles were beginning to ache the more she tightened them. "It's too hard!"

Making a quick decision, Goku hopped onto the staff and dropped down beside her to hang by his tail. It bowed slightly beneath their combined weight but held firm. "Reach up as far as you can and I'll pull you the rest of the way."

Tears sprang to Buruma's eyes as she struggled to grasp his hands. Just when she felt as if she could move no farther, her hands made contact with the boy's. "Arigatou," she whispered with a weak smile.

"I'll pull you across," he told her as he used his tail to propel them.

The first thing she did upon reaching the other side was kneel down and lay her cheek against the cool limestone floor. Goku sheathed his staff and stared at her curiously. "I'm reacquainting myself with solid ground," she explained.

Soon they were forced to move onward. The water supply was running low and Goku was becoming weak with hunger. About every twenty steps his stomach let out a fierce growl and he winced. "So hungry..."

"I have a couple of granola bars," Buruma said as she pulled them from her pack. "They're not much for you, but-" Before she could finish her sentence, they were snatched from her hand.

"Oh, domo arigatou!" he said to her before quickly unwrapping one of his prizes and stuffing the entire thing into his mouth.

"Mmm, honey."

The teen chuckled slightly, and after he consumed the other one, they continued on.

Twenty minutes later the tunnel began to gradually slant upwards and the air started to smell fresher. A tiny sliver of bright light shone through what seemed to be a dead end and a smile spread across Goku's face. "This is it," he said. "We're almost out."

"It looks thick," she said as she examined the stone. "Too thick for you to move."

Goku nodded in a preoccupied way and pressed his hands to the wall over the crack. He pushed on it slightly then, after a moment, exerted more force. For a long moment absolutely nothing happened. Buruma was starting to give up hope and the boy was beginning to tire. Then, the wall gave a loud raspy sound as the pieces of rock slid against each other and a hole became larger. It wasn't even large enough for Goku to get his head through, but it was a start.

"Now, it's gonna be easy," he said with confidence. Wedging his hands into the hole, he pulled backwards. It widened significantly. He grinned as he gazed out at an endless sea of sand and clear blue sky. "Ta da!"

"I could kiss you!" Buruma cried. Then she grabbed him and planted a big one directly onto his forehead. "Bless you!"

Blushing slightly, he rubbed his forehead with his tail. "Um, how do we get back to the capsule house? I'm close to starving to death."

By following the compass on her watch, they were quickly able to locate where they had made camp. Along the way they saw the crater where the explosives had detonated. Neither knew why it had happened only that it had nearly cost them their lives.

"I think it was a mistake," Buruma surmised. "There haven't been any reports of fighting in this area. At least, I haven't heard of any."

"Why would they fight? For fun?"

"Not this kind of fighting, Goku. They do it to hurt each other as much as possible."

He shook his head in a bewilderment. "I don't understand..."

"No one does, kid. Not really."

Everything was, miraculously, exactly where they'd left it. Weary both mentally and physically, the two only wanted a good meal and a warm bed. The teen collapsed on the sofa while Goku rummaged through the fridge.

"Can you bring me something, too? I'm too tired to move." She kicked off her shoes and closed her eyes. Goku nodded and fixed a tray for her. There were so many different things on it that it weighed heavily on her lap when he set it down.

"What's all of this?"

"I couldn't decide what to choose so I brought one of everything. Was that okay?"

She hid her smile. "It's fine. You can help me eat it."

That night, Goku took the time to reflect before he fell asleep. His quest for the dragonballs was taking him to places he would have never seen otherwise. '_Even if things don't work out, I guess I can say that this was all worth it._' "Buruma?"

"Hmm?" was the sleepy reply.

"Did you find me by accident or were you following my dragonball?"

There was a brief moment of silence. "I must have been following it in the beginning, but once I found that road I put the radar up. Being tired and hungry, I was done searching for the day."

"Oh. That's why you didn't know that there was one in Kaijiken. G'night, Buruma."

"Good night, Goku."

***

After breakfast the next morning, Buruma went to retrieve the radar to locate the fifth dragonball. She knew that her backpack had been left on the coffee table in the living room, but it wasn't there when she entered the room. "Goku!"

"Nani?" he called back.

"Did you move my things from the living room?"

"Why would I do that?"

She scratched her head. "Then where is it?"

After twenty minutes of thorough searching, she concluded that not only was her backpack missing, but her capsules, a lot of electronics, and Goku's staff as well. "I think someone stole our stuff! Those dragonballs are important!"

"How can we find who did it? This desert is gigantic!" Goku was upset about their latest predicament, but he didn't see how things could be rectified.

Buruma paced and tried to come up with a plan. On her fifth pass by the window, she noticed something in the sand. "Footprints," she said. "They left footprints!" She wondered how stupid a thief could get, but there weren't exactly any tree branches around to brush them away. She'd seen that on television once. "Let's go before the trail becomes cold."

Goku nodded and blushed when his stomach growled loudly. "Um, Buruma..."

"Go ahead."

Ten minutes later they were following the trail left behind by, what seemed to be, a man. The footprints were large both in width and in length and their depth indicated that the culprit weight over one-hundred-fifty pounds. They led around a tall dune and stopped at a large boulder. The teen snorted. "How conspicuous can you get. Even *without* the footprints I would've still been able to find it."

"What does conspicuous mean?"

"It was obvious."

"Oh." Goku went up to the boulder and pushed on it. It moved very easily. "This'll take a few seconds."

The cavern was lit by torches that sent golden light bouncing along the stone walls. A long, relatively narrow tunnel led directly to the central chamber... and the largest hoard either of them had ever seen. There were many different types of electronics, jewelry, and assorted valuables. Behind it all there was a smaller cavern; the living space of the thief.

"We really struck gold this time, Pu'ar. Do you know how much capsules can go for in the remote towns and villages out here?" Yamucha looked down at the collection that rested on a small table. The tall sixteen-year-old boy with the long, untamed black hair had been abandoned long ago by his parents. He couldn't even remember what they looked like. It didn't matter, though, he and Pu'ar were doing quite well for themselves. "That girl even had some I've never even seen before!"

"She's Dr. Briefs' daughter, Yamucha," Pu'ar said. The small blue cat flew over to a shelf and pulled down a book. Flipping to the correct page, she pointed to a picture. In it was the doctor himself, his wife, and Buruma as a little girl.

Yamucha gazed down at the seven-year-old's smiling face. "Well, I'll be damned. If we kidnapped her, who knows much ransom we'd get!"

Pu'ar shook her head vehemently. "We can't do that, it's wrong!"

"Pu'ar, *stealing* is wrong."

"Hai, but it's not as bad as this. Dr. Briefs would be sad that his daughter was in trouble and Mrs. Briefs would probably cry." She turned her back to him. "I won't do it!"

He rose from his chair and crossed to the cave entrance. "Okay, you don't have to. It'll only take me a few minutes."

Yamucha stepped from the small cavern and almost bumped into Goku. He looked down, surprise clearly displayed on his face. "How the hell did you get in here, kid?!"

"I moved the rock."

To his mind, the statement just didn't make sense. *He* could hardly move the boulder, how in the world could a little boy do it? "Oh, really?"

"Hai. I also can't let you go after my friend." He gave him a stern look to show that he meant business. "What did Buruma ever do to you?"

"It's not what she did, but what she's going to do." The young man spotted Buruma crouched in the shadows and did a strange combination of three things. First, a pleased look came into his eyes, he grinned, and then he blushed. "Uh, uh, uh..." He stood there, frozen.

Pu'ar landed on Yamucha's shoulder. "That means hello."

Instead of a greeting, he received a lot of angry screaming. "How dare you even *think* of using me to acquire money from my otousan! You're nothing more than a sleazy, lowlife who doesn't have any other skills." She glared at him. "I'll be taking back our things, now."

Her words caused him to come back to life. "If you think that I'm just about to let you ruin a night's work then you have another thing coming."

"Iie, *you* do." She turned to Goku. "Handle this, please."

The boy's eyes lit up with delight. It had been a while since the last time he was able to fight someone. He hoped that the battle would be, at least, a little challenging. Goku couldn't remember the last time he had a good opponent." "Really, Buruma? I can fight him?" The teen nodded and a grin spread across his face. Turning to Yamucha, he said, "I hope you're strong."

"Don't worry," was the confident reply, "I am."

Pu'ar and Buruma stood on the edge of the sole empty area of the central cavern, each cheering on their friend. "Make him pay, Goku! Don't hold back!"

"You can do it, Yamucha!"

Goku and Yamucha both dropped down into defensive stances. The boy's hands were sort of hovering out in space, completely leaving himself open to attacks. The desert bandit's, on the other hand, were carefully positioned in front of his body, his fingers curved downward like the claws of some wild beast. It looked as if Yamucha had received more training and that Goku had no idea what he was doing.

Neither fighter made any movement for several seconds, each sizing up the other. The thief felt that he was fighting an amateur, someone who would provide little or no challenge, Goku, on the other had, recognized the skill Yamucha possessed and was positively twitching with excitement.

"Are you ready?" Yamucha asked.

"Hai. This is for everything you stole from us and a promise that you won't ever do anything bad again."

His heart sank as images of being rich crumbled and was blown away by the wind." Okay, sure."

"You're for real?" Pu'ar asked in astonishment. "How will we survive?"

"I'll find a way, don't worry." He nodded in Goku's direction. "Let's begin."

They lunged in unison, the teenager making the first move. Goku blocked it easily and began an series of blows to test his opponent's defenses. Few landed. This continued on until Yamucha knocked him backward with a punch to the midsection.

Goku doubled over involuntarily and winced. "You were telling the truth about your strength."

Grinning, he answered, "Hai. You ready to give up yet?"

"Nope! Not when I have a reason to stop holding back."

There was a long moment of stunned silence. The bandit and Pu'ar exchanged looks of shock while Buruma smirked. "You're going down, Mister Lowlife."

"Not if I can help it." He gritted his teeth and readied himself for what was to come. Nothing could have prepared him for the flurry of punches and kicks that suddenly came his way. The onslaught was so fierce that defending himself was the least he could do.

Within minutes he had fallen to one knee, gasping in pain. Goku paused in his attack and gazed down at the defeated Yamucha in silence.

"Go ahead," the bandit said in a low voice. "You've earned it."

"Earned what?" Goku asked, genuinely confused.

"The victor earns the right to kill the defeated. It would save me the shame of having to face others after being beaten by a child."

Expression pensive, Goku kneeled down before him. "I don't want to kill you, Yamucha." He consciously lightened his tone. "How can I fight you again if you're dead?"

He sighed. "It would be better if you did. The only thing I know how to do well is steal things. Since you made me promise not to do it anymore, and because I'm a man of honor, I don't have any way to take care of me and Pu'ar."

"You could learn," Buruma said, her hostility towards him lessened considerably. Oh, she was still angry with him, but not as much as before. "Join up with us and you can discover what you're good at."

Goku nodded with a smile. "That'll be great!"

"I don't know about that. Pu'ar and I have made a life here in the desert. We've stolen from passing travelers (as well as many of the neighboring villages and towns) and have established a reputation. Starting over and going back to being a small fish will be hard for me."

"But it's better to earn something than to just take it. You'd feel a lot better about it." Goku persisted. "C'mon, just travel with us for a while. It'll be fun."

Yamucha considered everything for a moment and then eventually agreed. "Alright, but I have one question."

"Nani?"

"What on Chikyuu am I going to do with all of this stuff?!"


	14. Little Child Found: Chapter 4

**Age of the Empire**

**The Second Tale of Shukumei: Little Child Found**

**Chapter 4**

It was decided that they would auction it off and give the proceeds to several charitable foundations. Yamucha felt very good after seeing underprivileged families receive support that was sorely needed.

"I have to admit that you were right, Goku," he'd told the boy. "Putting a smile on a little boy or girl's face is much better than theft."

Buruma's radar led them to the nearest dragonball.... at the bottom of an ocean. There was something odd about this ball, however; it constantly moved. Every single time they stopped the hydroplane over the water and started to get out, they had to move again.

"Something funny is going on," Yamucha said as he stared down at the water from his window.

"You think?" the pilot asked sarcastically as she, once again, started the engine. "It's almost like something has it... That's it!" She grinned to herself and cut the engine. "I'm such a genius I even amaze myself sometimes."

Her words were met with three blank looks.

The teen slid open the door and pointed to the glassy surface. "We're going down there to retrieve the dragonball. There are wet suits in the back so suit up."

Pu'ar floated in front of her face. "Can I go, too? Please!"

"Well, I don't have a one small enough to fit you..."

She smiled and shape-shifted into the form a human woman with short-cut dark blue hair. Only her eyes remained unchanged. "You do now!"

Showing them all how to use the scuba gear wasn't the hardest task of the day and neither was allowing her assistants time to get used to the unfamiliar weight on their backs. No, the most trying of moments was bound to be the search for the dragonball itself. Being that it wasn't the least bit waterproof, Buruma had encased the radar in a shallow plastic box that had been liberally coated with water-repellent.

"Before we go down, I want you to all know that you can't come back up too fast. You get what's known as the bends and it can kill you."

"How far down are we going?" Yamucha asked curiously.

"It depends on what has the ball. Could be anywhere from ten feet to one-hundred thirty. Anything past that and I'll have to try to use my mini-sub." She made sure that her equipment was secure and asked, "Everyone ready?" Receiving nods, she pushed herself down into the water with a splash.

Buruma had only been deep sea diving a few times, but she skin-dived like an old pro. Out of the other three, only Yamucha had scuba dived before. Pu'ar had watched from the beach.

She switched on her high-powered dive light and motioned for them to follow her down into the murky depths. Schools of brightly colored tropical fish swam by, over, and underneath them while larger fish and mammals steered clear. They swam for nearly two minutes before Buruma realized what had the dragonball.

Pulling free her communication slate, she quickly wrote down that a killer whale had swallowed the ball. Yamucha wrote back, 'Don't killer whales eat people?' Buruma nodded and then answered, 'Sometimes, but this is for Goku. We have to try.'

The whale rested in the water, its flippers waving gently, as if casually waiting for prey to happen along. Buruma made sure that they approached it from behind and waited until it opened its mouth to eat something else. 'It has teeth so we'll have to be careful to avoid them.'

Pu'ar paled visibly and her eyes widened behind her mask. She took the slate and wrote down with a shaking hand, 'TEETH?! I'm too young to die!'

'Hold on to my tail,' Goku wrote to her. 'I'll pull you through.' She smiled as best she could around the regulator and hugged him briefly.

A large school of blue-spotted sunfish swam above the whale, seemingly not noticing the predator. In a sudden movement, the marine mammal was behind them and opening his mouth to consume his unsuspecting meal. Buruma saw a chance and took it.

The four of them swam as quickly as they could towards the whale and inside of its mouth just as the powerful jaws closed around them. They made sure to stay clear of its teeth as they made their way deeper inside of its body.

'So far, so good,' the teenage girl wrote down. 'Follow me.'

It was relatively dry inside its body as all of the excess water was forced out through the whale's blowhole. They all closed the air valve on their tanks to conserve air and removed the regulators from their mouths. "That wasn't so bad," Pu'ar said with a relieved sigh. "I have one question, though."

"Hai?" Buruma asked.

"How in the world are we supposed to get out?!"

After a moment of though, the girl shrugged. "I have no idea, but a way should present itself." Without any further conversation, she started off.

Deeper and deeper they went until the light flashed briefly over the object they were searching for. With a muffled cheer of happiness, she went over to retrieve the one-star ball. "Success!"

Goku grinned. "This is great."

Just when she was about to try and figure out a way to escape, her dive computer began to beep signaling that she was running out of air. She cursed vehemently when she realized that she hadn't closed the valve tightly. "The whale should have to surface for air soon and we should be able to exit through its blowhole. I don't want to wait down here too long so if it doesn't do it within five minutes, we're going to have to ascend another way."

"Okay, Buruma," Goku told her as he wandered off to explore for a little while. She gave him a look while tapping her dive computer with an index finger and he nodded.

He found himself further than he intended to go, but when he heard a sigh, it felt as if something (or someone) had guided him there. Searching with his small flashlight, he found a giant sea turtle staring up at him with depressed eyes. "Hi," he greeted. "I'm Goku. What's your name?"

The depression instantly changed to hope. "You-you're not a mirage?"

"Nope. At least, I don't *think* I'm a whatever-you-called-it. I'm a boy." The turtle sweatdropped slightly.

"My name's Umigame," he said. "I was swimming on the surface when this whale came out of nowhere and swallowed me! I have no idea how long I've been down here."

Goku felt sorry for him. "I can take you home, Umigame. My friends and I came in here for a dragonball and it was lucky I found you, too."

"Goku! We're leaving!" Buruma called.

"Okay!" He kneeled down beside Umigame. "Are you hurt or anything? Can you move on your own?"

"My right flipper struck one of its teeth and it hurts to move it."

"Hmm," he thought for a moment. "I think I can carry you on my back, but you have to make sure not to move my tank. Buruma says that's where all the air is."

"GOKU!"

He kneeled down so that Umigame could climb up and pushed himself back to his feet. For a moment he swayed, almost toppling over, but Goku was able to steady himself. "All set."

The others were ready when he returned. "Can someone help me? My hands are full."

"You brought back a turtle?" Yamucha asked, a look of surprise on his face.

"Hai, he needed my help."

Buruma crossed over to him to replace his regulator and open the air valve on his tank when a vibration so strong shook the body of the whale that they were all almost knocked from their feet. They next thing they knew, a gigantic force of air was pushing them upward and through the mammal's blowhole. The five of them were suspended over the water for a few seconds before falling back downward into the ocean. Yamucha whooped as he removed the regulator. "That was fantastic! Let's do it again!"

"I'd rather not," Pu'ar said, shaken from the journey downward and the hard impact. She treaded water as she looked around for the hydroplane. It was off in the distance about half a mile away from their current location. "The whale must have swam for a little while." With a poof, she transformed back into her true form and took to the air. Her legs had been getting tired.

"Pu'ar, can you turn into a speed boat? It would really help us out a lot." Yamucha smiled encouragingly at her and the little blue cat couldn't help smiling back.

"Okay, Yamucha." She would do anything for him. With another poof, a small boat appeared in the water. Everyone carefully boarded and she returned them safely to the plane.

After a brief lunch, Goku informed them that he promised Umigame that he would take him home. "Where do you live?"

"It's an island not that far from here. I live there with Kamesennin. Someone has to keep him from becoming too lecherous."

"About how much of a lecher is he?" Buruma asked. "I'm not getting off this plane if he's too bad."

"Oh, he's not as bad as he used to be. I think I've had a positive influence on him."

They disembarked on the beach, Goku still carrying Umigame. Kamesennin, and old man with a long white beard, sunglasses, and a shiny bald head, came to the door on the first knock and his eyes widened to see his turtle safe and sound.

"You were gone for three days! What happened?"

"It's a long story, Kamesennin. This is Buruma, Yamucha, Pu'ar and Goku. Guys, this is Kamesennin Muten Roshi, the strongest martial artist in the world." He turned back to the turtle hermit. "I owe everything to Goku, Muten. He rescued me."

"Oh, really?" Kamesennin stroked his beard thoughtfully. "An act of kindness deserves a reward and I think I know exactly what to give to you." He walked out onto the beach, cupped his hands around his mouth, and shouted to the sky. "Come here, cloud!"

For a moment absolutely nothing happened. Everyone except Umigame looked at Kamesennin as if he'd lost his mind. Then, a flying yellow cloud appeared on the horizon and stopped directly in front of the old man. "This cloud was given to me a long time ago but, unfortunately, I can't ride it." He looked away in slight embarrassment and then cleared his throat. "I would like to give this flying cloud to you as a thank you gift, Goku. First, let's see if you can use it."

Goku climbed up and stood on top of the puffy yellow cloud, half afraid that something bad was going to happen. When nothing did, he sat down and shouted, "Go cloud, go!" He zoomed around the island, laughing joyously.

Kamesennin smiled. "It's now yours," he called. "You can name it whatever you want."

"I'm going to call it Kinto'un because it looks just like a big wad of cotton candy!"

Leaving the boy alone with his brand new toy, the group went inside Kamesennin's home and made themselves comfortable while Umigame's wound was taken care of. The sea turtle attacked his meal of chilled seaweed with ravenous hunger. "Oh thank you, Muten Roshi. You have no idea how good this tastes."

Buruma checked for the locations of the last two dragonballs and was shocked to find only one. "Where in the world is that dragonball? How can it hide from my radar like this?"

"I may have a way for you to find your whatever-you-call-it," Roshi informed her as he served them tea. He squeezed into the remaining space on the couch between the arm and her body and made sure to touch her at every opportunity. "My sister, Baba, is a fortune-teller. Ask her any question in the world and she will know the answer."

"Where can I find her?"

"I will have to show you. It's hard to describe." He finished his tea and placed the mug down onto the tray. "I'm going to freshen up, it will only take a few minutes." A giant perverted grin stretched across his face and he looked at Buruma. "Unless you would like to shower with me?"

His response was a hard slap across his left cheek. "I didn't think so," he said while rubbing the red mark. He smiled at her again and disappeared into the bathroom.

Buruma glared at Umigame. " 'He's not as bad as he used to be', eh?"

"Definitely," he nodded. "Before, Muten Roshi would have hit on you every few minutes from the time you walked in the door."

"Oh. This is better, then."

Roshi emerged ten minutes later in a completely new outfit. He'd ditched the loud tropical print shirt and khaki shorts for something more befitting a sensei. He wore a black Mandarin style pants suit with a wide white vertical stripe running up the center to end at his collar and white cuffs. Going to the closet, he retrieved his wooden cane. "All ready," he said as he placed the empty mugs in the kitchen sink to be washed later. "I assume you have some method of transportation."

"Of course," the girl said with a slightly offended sniff. "I *do* have my capsules, after all." She pressed the button on the capsule and threw it out onto the sand. The plane appeared in a puff of smoke. "Everyone climb aboard."

The first one on the plane, Kamesennin claimed the front passenger seat right next to Buruma. She rolled her eyes but remained silent on the matter. Yamucha and Pu'ar took the seat on her side of the plane while Goku took the one by the door.

Umigame waved to them with his good flipper as they took off. "Ja ne, Umigame!" Goku called, his face pressed to the window. "See you soon!"


	15. Little Child Found: Chapter 5

**Age of the Empire**

**The Second Tale of Shukumei: Little Child Found**

**Chapter 5**

The ride back out to the desert was a long one. As the plane flew over the golden sands, Buruma struggled to keep her eyes open. She'd been flying for three hours without any sign of Baba's palace. Soon, they were going to have to land whether they found it or not. She could only go so many hours without sleep.

"There," Roshi suddenly said as he pointed to what appeared to be a speck on the glass. As she drew closer to it, the forms of tall spires materialized and she wondered how he could have known what it was from so far away.

"We're almost there, guys," she called to the three passengers in the back. Yamucha and Pu'ar each gave a sleepy nod, but Goku didn't move. He remained fast asleep even when Pu'ar flew over and patted his cheek.

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Boy, can Goku sleep." Then, receiving an idea, she leaned close to his ear and shouted, "GOKU! WAKE UP!"

Not a murmur or a twitch. Yamucha laughed. "Nothing short of a bomb going off can wake him up, I guess."

Buruma let him sleep for a little while long, but just until they landed. Then she climbed into the back and demonstrated the proper way to wake the boy. "GOKU, IT'S DINNER TIME! YOU BETTER GET IT BEFORE IT'S GONE!"

"Food?! Where?!" His eyes snapped open as he jumped from his seat. Goku looked around eagerly, his tail wagging behind him. Then he frowned, disappointed, when he realized that he'd been tricked. "That was mean."

"Just a little," she responded. "We're at Baba's castle so, unless you want to stay and sleep some more, I suggest you get a move on."

Goku couldn't pass up the chance to meet someone new and see something different. He hopped from the plane and followed everyone to the front entrance. There was a line of people waiting in the twilight, each one probably there to ask a question. An assistant opened the door and shouted to the crowd, "Uranai Baba will be with you all in just a moment. Please wait your turn."

"I guess we're going to be here a while," Yamucha sighed.

"Iie, we're not. As her younger brother, I have a right to cut in front of all these people." Roshi marched to the front of the line and knocked on the door. "Konnichi-wa. I am Kamesennin Muten Roshi. Please tell my sister, Baba, that my friends and I are here to see her."

The man studied him for a second, nodded, and shut the door. Roshi hummed underneath his breath as he waited and smiled as the door opened again. "So?"

"She said, 'Let the old fool wait his turn like everyone else'." Then he shut the door in his face.

Roshi blushed and tried to hide it as he walked back to his assembled friends. "Uh, I decided that it wouldn't be okay to cut in front of everyone after all. We'll just have to wait our turn like everyone else." He received nods and was relieved to be asked no questions.

Yamucha whispered to Buruma. "I think his sister dissed him."

"You're probably right."

The old man overheard and turned around to face them with a frown on his crimson-colored face. "She did *not* diss me!"

"Sure, she didn't," was the unisoned response of disbelief.

The door opened and a middle-aged couple in fine clothing came out. "I told you that the maid hadn't stolen your necklace, dear," the man told his wife. "Aristotle is merely fascinated by shiny baubles."

"That cat is going to the pound as soon as we get home!"

"Don't blame him for your mistakes, Gwynn. If you hadn't left it on the dressing table then he would have never taken it." The wealthy couple climbed into a black limousine and drove off.

"Next!" Baba's assistant called. The group filed through the doorway single-file and, unfortunately, it wasn't their turn. Goku sighed and began shadow sparring to keep the boredom away. The pale light of the waning moon shone behind him, casting a deep shadow onto the sand. When Buruma saw this happen, she tensed up for a moment and turned wary eyes to the sky.

"Whew!" she sighed in relief. "It's not full."

"What's wrong with a full moon, Buruma?" Pu'ar asked curiously. "I think they're pretty."

"Pretty deadly to anyone in the same vicinity as Goku."

By the time she'd caught the attention of Roshi and Yamucha. "Why?" the former desert bandit asked her.

"Because I transform and kill people." Turning, they found Goku standing nearby with a pained expression on his face. "I'm trying to find the dragonballs to wish my jiisan back. I killed him last month on the night of the full moon. Something just came over me when I became that giant monkey and I couldn't stop myself."

Roshi placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You shouldn't feel bad because of something you had no control over. I sense that you're one of the purest people I've ever come across in my lifetime." He smiled. "You have to be in order to ride Kinto'un."

His forehead creased in confusion. "I don't understand."

"The magical flying cloud can only be ridden by those pure of heart. I can't use it because of my, um..."

"Perversion?" Buruma suggested with a smirk. "Degenerateness? Immoral behavior?"

"Because of my appreciation of the naked female form," he finished with a glare in the teenager's direction.

"Oh," was the reply. "Why would you want to look at naked girls?"

Roshi leaned in an whispered to the boy, "I'll explain when you're older."

Just then, the group of young men from before exited looking as if they'd gotten the beating of their life. Covered in bandages, they leaned on each other has they headed to their minivan. "Oh, Kami," one groaned. "I'm never coming back here again without the money!"

Buruma stared at them for a moment and then stared at Roshi. "How much money are we talking here?"

"Oh, you'll see soon enough."

Through the door was a small square room and yet another door. On the other side of it was a stone pathway that led between two large crystal-clear fountains. It ended at a third door.

Before reaching the door, however, Baba herself waited for them. She sat cross-legged upon her crystal ball, dressed entirely in black with a pointed witch's hat atop her head. "Greetings," she said in a low, gravelly voice. "Before we begin, I must take payment from you."

"How much is it?" Buruma asked as she reached into her backpack for her checkbook.

"One-million zenni." That froze her hand mid-reach.

"NANI?!" she screeched. "I don't even get that much in allowance in a year!" She thought for a moment. "Maybe I could ask otousan to loan me the money...."

Yamaha snorted. "You're going to ask him to loan you a million zenni so that an old hag can read your fortune?"

"HEY!" Baba protested as her brother snickered. "I am *not* that old!" Then she blinked. "Wait..."

Buruma sighed. "Yeah, it does sound a little stupid."

"I call in my favor, Baba," Kamesennin said suddenly, causing everyone to look at him. "Do you remember?"

The old woman's face twisted in disgust. "Hai, I remember, Roshi. It doesn't earn you a free telling, though. Only a 50% reduction of the fee."

"500,000 zenni isn't too bad," Bulma said. "Do you take checks?"

"I take debit or credit only. I've had too much trouble out of people that write me checks." She held out her right hand as a credit card machine appeared in the other. She slid the Capsule Corp. card though and inputted the amount. "Everything's all set," she said as she handed Buruma her receipt. "Would anyone like refreshments before we begin?"

"I do! I do!" Goku said, his hand raised. He rushed forward eagerly. "Do you have any chocolate chip cookies? I really like those."

Baba smiled at the boy. "I'll see what I can find."

***

Ten minutes later they were gathered around the old woman in a semi-circle and watched as she searched for the dragonball. The lights were off in the small chamber and the only light came from the dozens of small candles lit everywhere. Baba told them earlier that she didn't really need the atmosphere, but it usually helped to make people feel that they had gotten their money's worth. Buruma had to admit that it was working.

"Oh great spirits hear my words. Show me the location of the hidden dragonball." She hummed underneath her breath and winked ever-so-slightly at her brother. The ritual wasn't really necessary, either.

Mists parted in the crystal ball and all present could see a thick, lead-lined black box. "The dragonball is inside."

"Where is the box?" Buruma asked.

Baba turned to regard her. "That information will cost you one million zenni, m'dear."

"NANI!? I can't afford that!"

"Too bad." The image started to fade. "You would have found it easily."

Roshi fixed her with a stern look. "Baba, tell the kids where the dragonball is."

"You'll owe me a favor..." she said in a sing-song tone.

"I don't care; just do it."

"Alright." She concentrated and cleared the fog away from the image once more. "This creature has it somewhere in the jungle west of here. He is a pig that walks and talks just as a ningen does. It should only take you a day or two, at the most, to locate his exact whereabouts." She bowed her head. "This is all I can tell you."

Buruma thanked her and led the group from the palace.

"Do we retrieve the ball I can find or go after the pig?" she asked.

They were split down the middle. Goku and Yamucha said to go after the pig while Buruma and Pu'ar said the exact opposite. Roshi was impartial.

"You're the tie-breaker, Kamesennin." Pu'ar said. "Cast your vote, onegai!"

He studied each group as he thought. "Hmm. I guess I'll have to go with Goku and Yamucha. I sense that we may have to fight this pig and I'm always up for a good battle."

Goku perked up at the words. "Did you say we would have to fight?"

"I said 'we may', Goku. Don't become over eager." He lightly rapped him with his staff. "If I am to become your sensei, you must listen to me."

"You are?" he asked while scratching his head. "I didn't know that."

The old man nodded. "I have yet to make a final decision but, so far, I've sensed great potential within you. By the end of this quest I'll be able to give you an answer."

Buruma was too tired to fly them anywhere, so she put up the capsule house instead. The only model she had with her was a one-bedroom, unfortunately, so she shared it with Pu'ar and Goku while Yamucha and Roshi camped in the living room.

After breakfast the next morning, they headed west. The vague description of travel time from Baba wasn't very helpful. Fuel was running low in her plane and she was worried that they would run out in the middle of nowhere. Hopefully the pig was located in a town of some sort -- one that had a gas station.

"Is that the jungle?" Goku asked. An expansive dark green swathe that was dotted here and there with various other tropical colors stretched as far as his eyes could see. "It's huge!"

"Stupid Baba and her vagueness." Buruma grumbled. Just as she spoke a light on the console began to flash, signaling that fuel was down to a quarter tank. "I'm going to have to land. Help me find a village or something."

The four passengers set about the task of locating some kind of community. Pu'ar excitedly plastered herself to the windshield and pointed to something off in the distance. "Over there! I see something!"

It turned out to be a small city and they were all grateful for that. Buruma landed the plane, using a wide street as a runway, and slowly taxied to a stop. "Domo arigatou for flying Briefs Airlines," she joked. "I hope to see you again soon."

They all blinked in the bright sunlight of mid-afternoon after disembarking. "Okay," the teen girl said. "I'm going to buy some gas while you guys look for the pig." She handed Goku the dragonball radar. "He might take it out of the box. Unlikely, but possible."

He pressed the button and immediately saw two dragonballs blink on the screen. Just as he'd figured out the approximate distance, one of the small round lights disappeared. "About a mile that way," he said while slowly turning to point in the correct direction. "Are you guys coming with me?"

Yamucha and Roshi both said yes, but Pu'ar shook her head. "I'll stay here with Buruma," the cat said. "I don't want her to be lonely."

"Aw, that's sweet," the girl said in response. "I'll buy you something special later, okay?"

"Okay!"

Waving goodbye to the pair, Yamucha and Roshi followed Goku's lead.

"You want to play a game? My jiisan taught this to me when I couldn't talk yet."

Yamucha was amazed. "You remember that?!"

"Sure. It was only four years ago." The boy didn't see the look he and Roshi shared. "This is how you play. When I do something you have to copy me exactly. It can be anything."

The teenage boy had to admit that it sounded interesting. "Alright, start."

Beginning with an easy one, Goku took his right hand and patted the top of his head with it. He turned around to see the other two copying him exactly. "Good. Just like that."

"Does this get any harder? Please tell me it gets harder."

"Of course it does!" While walking backwards, he did three back flips. Roshi and Yamucha copied him easily. Knowing that they were both accomplished martial artists, Goku realized that more would have to be done to trip them up. Just as he was about to try something else, his foot came into contact with only air and he started to fall backwards.

"Uh, oh," he got out before he began tumbling down a slope. Collisions with rocks and sharp sticks left bruises and scrapes, but nothing really hurt him that badly. With a splash, he found himself face down in a shallow creek. "Ugh," he groaned as he pushed himself upward with his hands. "That wasn't very fun."

Roshi made sounds of disapproval as they came down the incline. "We'll have to work on your awareness."

Over the small bridge across the creek, they followed the small path until it broadened into a road. Along it were two large houses, each on opposite sides and about half a mile apart.

"This is about a mile away from the city," Goku said. "Which house do you think it is?" His question was answered when the front door of the house on the left opened and a little pig stepped out in a dark green military uniform. He looked around for a moment and spotted them standing in the road.

"Konnichi-wa," he said, leaning on his fence gate. "Can I help you?"

"We're looking for a dragonball. It's about this big,--" Goku shaped his hands in something that resembled a sphere. "--and has orange stars on it. Do you have one?"

The pig's eyes widened and he quickly tried to hide his reaction to the boy's words. "Uh, iie," he said unconvincingly. "Why would I have something as weird as that?"

Goku's eyebrows drew downward. "I think you're lying. It's not nice to lie."

"Uh, okay," he sighed. "I have it. But!" The pig's eyes turned sly. "You have to do something for me, first."

"We're listening," Yamucha said.

"There is a certain magazine collection that I've had my eye on for months now. It's called Hot Girls Gold. If you can get the entire set for me, I'll give you the dragonball thingy."

Roshi looked at him as if he'd lost his mind. "Do you know how valuable that is? I have a set and it took me years to find one within my price range!"

The pig smirked. "I know. No collection, no dragonball. That's the deal."

"Where do you expect us to find it?" the old man asked. "Is a little bird supposed to drop it from the sky or something?"

"There's a man in town that goes by the name of Korekuta Waihon. He has what I want displayed in his shop, but won't sell to me. If you trade with him, I'm sure he'll let it go. Tell him that Oolong sent you and you won't be cheated."

"Why can't you just do this yourself?" Yamucha asked. "You seem to be on such good terms with this Korekuta after all."

Oolong shook his head. "I can't find what he wants. No vintage kimono for his wife, no Hot Girls Gold."

"We'll be back by the end of the day," Goku told him as he ran up the road. "Come on, guys! We've go work to do!"


	16. Little Child Found: Chapter 6

**Age of the Empire**

**The Second Tale of Shukumei: Little Child Found**

**Chapter 6**

The kimono was found in a clothing shop on the west side. They didn't have enough money to buy it so they offered to trade. The woman who ran the shop told them that she wanted a fourteen carat diamond ring. Yamucha and Roshi sighed when she named her request, but Goku took it in stride.

"To the jewelry store!" he said as he started on his way down the street. He looked at it as a new kind of adventure.

Eventually they were able to acquire everything everyone wanted. The baker's little girl had wanted a limited edition watch featuring her favorite comic book super heroine, Justice Girl. Neither Goku, Yamucha, nor Roshi had known where to find such an item since all of the stores seemed to be sold out. One salesman had even laughed when they'd asked him did he have one in stock. It turned out, when they met back up with Buruma and Pu'ar for lunch, the teenage girl had one in her backpack. She loved Justice Girl just as much as the ten-year-old (mostly because she was one of the only female superheats in existence), but was willing to part with it to obtain Oolong's dragonball. After all, her father had connections. She could easily get another one.

The two-dozen raspberry muffins were given to a man who had a valuable painting in his possession. He had a weakness for the widow's freshly baked muffins, but she disliked him so much that she refused to sell him any. In fact, she refused to even sell them to anyone who was even *considering* giving him one! As a bonus, Goku managed to get the recipe for the culinary delights and included it with his trade.

"Oh, thank you!" the rotund man with the balding head had said as he gave Goku a hug he wouldn't soon forget. "I've dreamt about these muffins for months!"

The jeweler's grandmother had painted a portrait of her sister half a century ago, but it had been sold by the woman when her daughter needed money to pay off her son-in-law's gambling debts. A few months ago, the granddaughter had discovered that a family on the east side, who'd just moved in a few weeks before, had purchased it at an auction in London. The young woman wanted the painting she remembered so fondly from childhood, but just didn't see how she could pay the amount the man wanted for it.

That's where Goku and company had come in.

After trading the portrait for the ring, the ring for the kimono, and the kimono for the dirty magazines they were finally able to trade for the dragonball.

"Only one more," Goku said as he found himself contemplating the five-star ball. "I'm close."

Back on the street where Buruma had landed (and was partially blocking traffic), the girls were already waiting. A heated debate began. Did they travel onward in search of the last dragonball or did they wait and stay over at a nice hotel? Buruma was firmly on the side of spending the night in town... until she saw the look on Goku's face, that is. It was so pathetic that she just couldn't say no to him.

"Alright, kid. We can leave tonight."

He grinned and hugged her around the waist. "You're a great tomodachi, Buruma."

Just as they were boarding the plane, Oolong came running up the street. "I made up my mind; I'm coming with you."

Buruma's brow knit. "I don't even remember *meeting* you!"

Bowing, he said, "Konnichi-wa, my name's Oolong. Pleased to meet you."

"Come on," she sighed, giving in. "But if you give me any problems you're out, understand?"

"Perfectly."

Acting as co-pilot, Goku directed her back towards her own hometown. Flying past the large city, they found themselves directly on course for Fire Mountain.

"Why is it called that?" Pu'ar asked, her high-pitched voice conveyed deep curiosity. As they neared the mountain, she found the answer to her question. "Never mind."

Fire Mountain, like its named suggested, was on fire.

At the peak there was a grand castle surrounded by tall, brightly glowing flames that reached merrily towards the sky. In the darkness it was easy to see how hot the fire burned and how next-to-impossible it would be to put out with mere buckets of water.

"The fire is protection for the people of the castle," Kamesennin told them. Then he squinted and looked downward to the ground. "Unfortunately, I think their own fortification is working against them."

Upon landing, they were approached by two very odd people. The man was easy both three times as tall and as wide as an ordinary man who wore a horned helmet-mask and a bright red cape. A scruffy beard covered his wide mouth that was currently turned downward in a scowl. The little girl wore a helmet with a sharp blade in its center, a one-piece costume, and a matching red cape.

"Why are you here? This is my papa's land!" the little girl, who didn't look even remotely like her father, said as they stepped from the plane. She narrowed her blue eyes. "Go away!"

"You heard her," the giant said, still surveying his castle. He silently cursed himself for being so stupid. "We have no time to waste with you."

Roshi cleared his throat pointedly. "Is that any way to talk to your sensei?"

The giant tensed and slowly turned around. "My.... sensei?" He faced the old man with a surprised look on his face. "Muten Roshi! What are you doing out here?"

"The same could be asked of you, Gyuu Mao. Especially when you have such a nice home."

"Oh, Muten. This is all my fault!" He groaned and shook his head. "ChiChi and I went into town yesterday to pick up a few things. I'm afraid that I had a bit too much to drink--"

"Try *way* too much to drink," his daughter interjected with a smirk.

"--while spending time with an old friend. When morning came, and we returned to our castle, I couldn't remember the command to temporarily remove the flames so that we could enter our home. ChiChi has never known it because I didn't want anyone to kidnap her so that they could pull them from her by force. I had to protect my little girl."

"And now we've been stuck outside for an entire day, Papa." she said. "I want to be able to get to my room!"

"I know, ChiChi-chan. Gomen nasai." He turned to Kamesennin. "Do you still have the magical artifact that can put out any fire?"

A head shake. "Iie. I lost it years ago. I do, however, have something just as good." He handed Gyuu Mao his staff and flexed his hands. "Allow me to help you."

"Of course."

The old man spread his legs to brace himself and dropped his arms to his left side, fingers slightly curved. Concentrating on the fire, he focused energy into the palms of his hands. "Ka....me...." A round blue ball of _ki_ began to glow in his hands. It became brighter and brighter even as it grew larger and larger. Everyone watched, fascinated. Goku in particular. "Ha....Me.... HA!"

He brought his hands in front of his body and aimed his energy at the flames surrounding the castle. The beam went up the side of the mountain and the entire area was suddenly awash in a brilliant blue light. They all shielded their hands against the glare and, when they opened their eyes, the flames were completely gone.

"Oh, wow!" ChiChi gasped. She quickly ran over to hug Roshi. "Domo arigatou!"

Gyuu Mao bowed and took his daughter's hand. "Let's go home."

A beeping sound drew their attention to Buruma. "Wait a sec. I think you have a dragonball up there," she said. "Can we have it? Onegai?"

"For all of Kamesennin's help, I will give it to him. ChiChi will retrieve it from her room once we return to our home."

"Muten Roshi? Was it like this?" Goku asked suddenly. He'd been concentrating on his memories so hard that the entire conversation had gone in one ear and straight out of the other. He mimicked Roshi's stance. "Ka....me.... Ha....me.... HA!" His Kamehameha Wave was weak, but still dropped the jaws of his audience. "How was that?"

It took a moment for the old man to gather enough wits to answer. "Amazing," he said. "You are to become my student."

Goku cheered. "Great! I know I'll learn a lot from you, Kamesennin."

During the walk up the mountain path, ChiChi dropped back to walk with Goku. "I really liked when you made that glowing thing," she said shyly, her face a brilliant scarlet. She struggled for words for a moment then suddenly blurted. "Will you marry me?"

Not really understanding the question, but hating to disappoint her, he nodded. "Sure."

Eyes wide as saucers, she squealed in glee. "REALLY?! One day I'll get to be your wife! Yay!"

The word "wife" struck a chord within him. He had a feeling that he'd just made one of the biggest mistakes of his life.

***

After turning down a free meal to make use of the dragonballs, Goku went back to the clearing at the base of the mountain and placed the orbs down in a circle. He turned to Buruma with a question in his eyes.

"What do we do, now?" he asked.

Buruma watched the glowing orbs a moment before answering. "Call the dragon. Arise, Shenron, and grant our wish!"

The sky turned even darker as thick clouds obscured the moonlight. Thin forks of lightning streaked across the sky and a fierce wind picked up. Goku was just about to mention that the weather didn't look very friendly when a long, glowing, serpentine form materialized and eventually turned into a green dragon with antlers.

"Speak your wish," he commanded in a deep, booming voice.

"I want my jiisan to be brought back to life," Goku told him.

The dragon's eyes glowed a brighter red. "That wish cannot be granted."

"Why not?!" Goku asked, a stricken look crossing his face. Tears pooled in the corners of his eyes, threatening to spill.

"There are forces at work preventing me from retrieving the soul of Son Gohan. Choose another wish."

He collapsed on the ground, head bowed and fingers clawing at the earth. How could this happen? It wasn't supposed to be this way!

"Goku, what do you want to wish for?" Buruma asked softly as Shenron shifted in impatience.

Not hearing her words, the boy sobbed quietly. He would never see his beloved grandfather again... at least not until he died.

"Speak your wish or, if you do not have another, release me from this mortal plane so that I may return to my slumber."

"I wish that I could be allowed to keep the four-star dragonball to remember my jiisan by even after someone makes a wish."

Shenron's eyes flashed brightly once again. "Your wish is granted." He returned to his glowing state and vanished as the dragonballs reappeared. Six of them flew off to remote corners of the world while one, the four-star, dropped down to land beside Goku's knees.

For a moment no one spoke. Awkward, uncomfortable looks were shared amongst his friends. Then Buruma stepped forward and crouched down next to the now silent boy. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

He turned to look at her, no long crying but still very sad. "He's gone for good," Goku said in a hollow voice. "If the Eternal Dragon can't bring him back then nothing can." That was a point no one could argue with.

"You'll feel sad about this for the rest of your life, but you'll be able to handle it after a while. Maybe not today, or tomorrow, but someday."

"I hope so," he sighed.

Having done and said all that she could, Buruma left him alone. Her heart was breaking for her friend, but she had no idea what else to do for him.

Roshi, surprisingly, was the one to take charge of the situation. "What do you want to do, Goku? Go back home or allow me to train you?"

"If I go back to Heiwa," the boy said slowly, "then this will be the only thing I would think about. I'll go with you, Kamesennin. At least training will give me something to do." He stared at the dragonball in his hands for a moment and then faced everyone with a false smile on his face. "Let's go."

**Author's Note #2:** A little on the long side, I know. It's just that I didn't want to make this part five chapters long and four is only slightly related to two and three's search for the dragonballs.

***

He was more than a little surprised when his grandfather's dragonball turned into an ordinary-looking stone. Staring at it in disbelief, he called to Buruma, "Was this supposed to happen?"

The girl glanced back at him briefly and nodded. "After you call the dragon the dragonballs go dead for a year so that they can recharge whether you make a wish or not. It takes a lot of energy to call Shenron."

"Oh," he said quietly. "I thought something bad had happened to jiisan's dragonball." He pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, resting the dormant dragonball between. 

The ride back to Kame Island was spent in uncomfortable silence. They were all sad for Goku's loss, but had no idea what to say or how to comfort him. It was awkward and more than a little intimidating.

By late afternoon, they were crossing the ocean and could see the approaching island in the distance. Upon landing, Umigame came out of the house and waved his uninjured flipper.

"You're back!" he greeted as Roshi and Goku disembarked from the plane. The old man gave him a smile, but the boy only looked at the stone. When Buruma took off, he waved distractedly and went into the house.

"What happened?" Umigame asked in a hushed voice. He'd never seen Goku look so miserable.

"It's a long story. Let's just say that his wish didn't come true." He yawned, still tired. It was uncomfortable sleeping on the plane. "I'll tell you all about our trip sometime tomorrow. Right now, I'm going to get a little sleep."

The sea turtle nodded. "Alright. Have a good rest, Kamesennin. I'll see you in the morning."

They went inside to find Goku sitting quietly on the sofa. "I'll be better tomorrow, Muten," he said. "I promise."

"This isn't something you overcome in just a single day. It may take months or even years, but-" He made sure that he had the boy's complete attention. "-dwelling on it is useless. You will only make yourself feel worse."

"I understand." He set the stone on the coffee table and curled up on the sofa. "See you tomorrow."

Roshi was still worried about him, but he knew that the grief was something he would have to deal with on his own.


	17. Little Child Found: Chapter 7

**Age of the Empire**

**_The First Tale of Shukumei: Ghosts From the Past_   
Chapter 7**

Everyone was silent as the ship they had been held captive on for three days faded into the distance. They had known that they were free the moment their ship left the hangar, but it seemed like it wasn't real until the larger ship was no longer in view. Cheers rose up, a great sound that nearly shook the ship with its intensity. Vegeta released a breath that he had no idea he was holding and collapsed into the nearest chair.

It was then that he noticed the usually stoic Bardock's behavior. The older man was grinning widely and there was a twinkle in his dark eyes. As a matter of fact, he was starting to scare the prince.

"Are you... okay?" he asked, both eyebrows raised so high that they were nearly even with his widow's peak.

"We're going to Chikyuu!" he said with barely suppressed excitement. By that time, the other Saiya-jin had begun to crowd around him in curiosity. He rolled their eyes at them. "You guys don't get it, do you? Chikyuu's the blue planet I've been Seeing."

"You've seen it in visions?!" Vegeta stood and stood before him, annoyance clear on his face. "When were you going to tell me about it, Bardock? I'm your prince; I have a right to know!"

A calm smile was his only answer. "Actually, boy, you are our king." He chuckled as the color drained from his face as Vegeta realized the full import of what he had done on Furiza's ship. "You were so focused on us getting away that you've completely forgotten about the Sending."

Reverent silence descended upon them. The Sending was a Saiya-jin tradition that dated back as far as anyone could remember. In order for a prince to gain the throne, he had to murder his father and send his soul to Hell. Most of the time it was one of the hardest things a prince ever had to accomplish in his lifetime, but a few kings had been as weary as the previous king had been and put up no fight.

"On the ship, I killed him," Vegeta whispered. Before he had been ruling in name only because Bardock had been the true leader. Now, the lives of dozens were placed into his care. '_Can I do this? Can I take care of my people without fucking up?_'

"You've done fine so far, Vegeta." Bardock recognized the fear and panic in his eyes; many young Saiya-jin placed into a position of power often looked the exact same way. "Leadership is in your blood, boy. You'll know what to do."

Abruptly changing the subject to give the new king time to regain his composure, he started on his visions. "You all know that I saw Furiza blow up our planet, correct?" He received nods. "I had another vision that I told no one of. On the Day of Sorrow my second son, Kakarotto, was born. He was sent to a planet in the middle of nowhere and I've been looking for him ever since. The planet Zaabon spoke of, Chikyuu, is the very same one he was sent to. I know it! Don't you see?"

"Don't we see what?" Outou asked, the confusion on his face mirrored by many others. "All I know is that your son is supposed to kill the one who nearly destroyed our race. That's all you've ever told us."

"This is no coincidence, people. We're ensnared in the sticky web of Fate." The lingering smile on his face faded. "We can't control our destines, something up there is doing it for us."

Nanka frowned in worry. "I hope that planet you saw Kakarotto and Furiza fight on wasn't Chikyuu. We shouldn't be anywhere near them when it happens. It can't be safe."

Bardock rolled his eyes at him. "You're probably the only one here that wouldn't want to see that battle. Wouldn't you want to be there to see our people avenged?"

"I like my limbs where they are, thank you very much." He shuddered at the thought of Furiza attacking him. The nightmare would come true if he ever found out where they were. Turning away from the others, Nanka went to his place at the communications console.

  
The next day found Vegeta staring out the viewport in his private room. For some reason he couldn't place, he felt uneasy about leaving Furiza alive. How long would it take him to discover their absence? What would he do to find them again? 

The door slid upward and he didn't bother to look behind him. He knew there was only one person that would enter without knocking. "What do you want Bardock?"

He didn't speak until Vegeta felt the slight dip in the bed that meant Bardock had sat down. "This is the strangest thing you've ever done since the time you thought you were God."

Vegeta turned to face him, eyebrow high on his face. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You don't remember?" he chuckled. "You were nine years old and I think you'd accidentally slipped and fallen coming out of the shower."

_   
"Fear me, you lowlife bastards! Bow before your lord and master!"_

_The Saiya-jin in the mess hall looked at the young boy dressed in a white bed sheet that pooled at his feet and erupted into laughter. Eyes narrowed, he carefully climbed up onto the nearest table, knocking several dishes to the floor, and pointed his index finger around the room. "I am God," he said in a low voice filled with anger, "and you will respect me!"_

_"What are you on, boy?" Bardock asked with an amused smile on his face. "Whatever it is, you need to stop using."_

_He tried to stalk down the table toward the man, but tripped on the bottom of his sheet and fell flat on his face. The laughter only grew louder when, in his attempt to rise, his foot slipped in a mound of mashed potatoes and he slid down the rest of the long table and landed on the floor. Tears were running down numerous faces until Bardock squatted down beside the boy and noticed that he was unconscious. Picking him up, he carried him back to his room and laid him on the bed._

_Examining his skull, Bardock found not one but two bumps. Something had to have happened to make the prince delusional and he figured that a knock to the head was it. "You better be normal when you wake up, Vegeta. I don't want the others to rupture something from laughing so hard."_

He laughed at the memory. "Before you woke up, I made everyone promise not to ever bring it up again."

"That's the reason why everyone seemed to be laughing at me that week!" He punched him in the arm. "You should have told me. I have the right to know just how bad a fool I made of myself."

Bardock nodded but the smirk didn't leave his face. "Are you out of your mood, now?"

"When will he find us, Bardock?" He interrupted the older man before he could respond. "You and I both know that he eventually will."

"Hopefully it'll be after we get to Chikyuu. I don't want to get into a fight with Furiza, but especially not in space." He almost couldn't stop the tremor from going through his body. "None of us could survive something like that."

Vegeta rose to his feet. "It's alright to be afraid, Bardock. Everyone else is as well."

"Including you?"

"Especially me," he corrected. "C'mon, we should be close to Xelos."

Five minutes later they were descending through the atmosphere and landing at the space port. Xelos was a planet that many travelers found themselves on for many reasons. The Saiya-jin were there to purchase supplies. Zaabon hadn't told them how long it was going to take to reach Chikyuu so Vegeta wanted to be prepared.

"Give me stats, Outou," Vegeta ordered as he reached the bridge.

"Xelos is a Class A planet with various terrain. The atmosphere is mostly comprised of nitrogen, oxygen, argon, and carbon dioxide with amounts of 25.80, 72.19, 2, and 0.01. Its native inhabitants are called Xelian and the global population is approximately seven-hundred million. Average battle power is 275.53."

"Not bad," the king commented. "Nanka, have you contacted the other ships and let them know that they are to land as well?"

"Yes, my king. They will meet us on the tarmac."

The four ships were left on the apron and a fee was negotiated upon. Although they didn't have much currency (especially of the unit that was accepted on Xelos), they were willing to pay. It wouldn't be wise to have a planet of so many people angry at them.

Once everyone was gathered together, Vegeta divided them into groups and appointed them tasks. Some would purchase the food, others would see to the maintenance and refueling of the ships, while still more would search for information. There were few people here who had heard of their race since Xelos hadn't ever been targeted for real estate. After consulting with Bardock, Vegeta told them to meet up at a bar about half-a-mile away from the spaceport in three hours. The older man had an idea up his sleeve and was going to try his best to make it work.

"You know we don't have the money to pay for this," Vegeta said as he and Bardock went on their way by themselves. "Do you actually think they'll let us rent a room for free?"

He snorted. "Of course not, boy. I have an offer they can't refuse." A single eyebrow rose in waiting. "Either the owner allows us to borrow that room or we'll kill his family."

"Ah, a good threat always does the trick."

"Who said anything about a threat?"

They spent the entire time watching the street performers and sampling the food. A festival to one of their gods was occurring and wine flowed freely throughout the city. Vegeta had four large cups of the sweet, fruity liquid before Bardock made him leave the area.

"If you haven't forgotten, I am the king," he said in a voice that was only slightly slurred. "I can do what I want."

"King or not you're still my kid," Bardock gave him the sternest look that he was capable of, "and when I say no, I mean no!"

This was the first time someone stopped him from doing something stupid because it was for his own good. The realization that Bardock actually cared about him made warmth flow throughout his body. Later on, when he was sober, it would be blamed on the wine. "I love you, man!" he cried and hugged the startled soldier. Bardock awkwardly patted him on the back and carefully pried him loose.

"That's it, no more alcoholic beverages. You get weird when you're drunk."

A goofy smile appeared on the king's face. "Sure, Papa. Whatever you say."

Eyes wide in shock, he grabbed his shoulders. "What did you call me?!"

"You're my papa, aren't you?" Confusion shone in his dark eyes. "I wasn't supposed to call you that?"

"Only if you want to, Vegeta." He tried to stop the huge grin from spreading across his face, but it was a lost cause from the beginning. "You'll be the first to ever call me that."

"There are two kinds of family: those you're bound to by blood and those you're bound to by choice. Oftentimes the latter bond is the strongest." That said, his attention wavered and he spotted more free food, running off to devour it. Bardock stood there and watched him for a moment, pondering on how wise he had become. Eventually shrugging, he went off in the opposite direction to secure a room for the celebration.


	18. Little Child Found: Chapter 8

**Age of the Empire**

**_The First Tale of Shukumei: Ghosts From the Past_   
Chapter 8**

**A/N:** The giant flashback in this chapter has been taken directly from the Japanese version of the second DBZ TV special _Bardock: Father of Goku_ and was only altered slightly to fit this fanfic. 

The first level of Saiya-jin drinking always involved bawdy and tasteless jokes. These sometimes humorous anecdotes often made the few innocent women they had blush. Level two incorporated ditties of the perverted kind. Bardock, for some odd reason, knew more songs than anyone so he was called the most often to sing.

The third level was the start of challenges issued to the strongest warrior. By this time, Vegeta had gotten his hands on something more potent than wine. So the king, who was three-sheets to the wind, decided that he was going to accept any challenge that came his way. He and Beibak stumbled over to the cleared space in the center of the room and basically slapped at each other until Beibak passed out. Vegeta let out a cheer and promptly landed face down over the other man. They were dragged from the floor and level four began.

Bardock pushed his half empty glass aside, feeling only slightly drunk seeing as he always stopped at level two. Someone had to stay sober enough to keep everyone in reasonably in line. There was a down side to drinking that much, though. It always made him melancholy.

How would he, Toma, Celipa, Totepo, and Panboukin have celebrated if his best friends had lived to see this day? Leaning back into his chair, he remembered the day of their deaths.

_   
The ground was broken and the lifeless, beaten bodies of his friends were lying haphazardly along the cold earth. Eyes wide in shock, he scanned the area._

_"Bardock..." a voice said weakly. Running over to his friend, he kneeled beside him and raised his head._

_"Toma! What's going on? What happened?"_

_"You fool, you could have stayed away."_

_"Did the people of Planet Meet...?"_

_"We destroyed them in a second." He interrupted._

_Bardock frowned in confusion. "Then who attacked you?"_

_"Furiza! He betrayed us!" It was hard to speak of and even harder to believe._

_"No!" He shook his head in denial. "It can't be!"_

_"Furiza's been using us all along. I'm dying, but I have to tell you this. Furiza will kill all of us Saiya-jin. Listen, go back to Planet Vegeta and gather our comrades to kill Furiza. Show him the strength of the Saiya-jin people."_

_The light slowly faded from his eyes as they closed and Bardock marveled at how peaceful he looked in death. He untied the white cloth Toma wore around his left bicep and used it to wipe the blood from his friend's face. He slowly took in the senseless deaths of his closest friends, feeling the cooling blood drip from his hand and soak into the rust-stained rag. His scouter picked up a reading and he turned to find four men watching him with hostile eyes. What had they ever done to cause Furiza to take such drastic measures?_

_"It's your turn to die," said the horned alien at the forefront with a cold laugh._

_In mute rage, he tied the blood-soaked rag around his head in bandanna fashion. It really didn't matter why the soldiers killed his friends. There would be vengeance._

_Bardock had high hopes for the battle, but in the end, he just wasn't strong enough. Lying battered and bloody, he closed his eyes and waited for a death that did not come. Instead Dodoria, who had been the one to deal the nearly fatal blow, had gotten a call on his communicator and he flew off back to Furiza's ship._

_Not wasting a moment, Bardock jumped back into his space pod and flew at top speed back to Planet Vegeta. "I still can't believe that Furiza wants to kill us." Near the completion of the trip, he found himself gazing out of the window and watching a small pod go by in the opposite direction. Somehow he knew what small bundle it contained and the vision instantly sprung to mind. "Kakarotto..." he whispered. Upon landing, he exited the pod and leaned against the side of it to regain a little of his strength._

_"What's wrong, Bardock?" one soldier asked._

_"You're a little late. We've just launched your kid to Chikyuu... some frontier planet."_

_He froze and looked back at the two of them. "Chikyuu?"_

_The second soldier smiled at him. "Yes, it's a blue planet in a solar system light-years from here. Even a low-level soldier could destroy it in a couple of months. Go visit him after you get better._

_"But what's the matter with you? How did you get all those wounds? I heard that you went to Planet Meet."_

_Bardock stared through them, remembering. "That was... Chikyuu. Yes, there's no doubt about it now. All the dreams I've been having are of the real future. That means..." He gasped and resumed his trek at a faster pace. "It can't be!"_

_"Are you alright, Bardock?"_

_Ignoring both the question and the burning pain of his wounds, he ran into the building with faltering steps. Closer and closer the mess hall came, but the pain became too great and he blacked out briefly from it. The images that assaulted his mind both surprised and frightened him. There was Planet Vegeta's destruction, his small son growing from a squalling infant to a competent adult, and the battle between Kakarotto and Furiza. As Bardock reached out to his son, the vision faded and he found himself once again in the deserted hallway._

_He did make it to the mess hall but if the prince hadn't come along, none of his comrades would have believed a word he said._

_They escaped successfully by leaving the planet from a point not visible by Furiza. As the red sphere faded from sight, Bardock whispered a promise. "Everything's going to change. The Saiya-jin's destiny, my destiny, Kakarotto's destiny, and also your destiny, you bastard."_

A familiar squeak brought him out of his thoughts. Turning to the form sprawled in the booth beside him, he sighed when the noticed the signs of Vegeta caught in the throes of a nightmare. He shook him hard, hoping that he could awaken before the others noticed his distress. The dreams were a weakness, one that could be exploited by any Saiya-jin with aspirations to become king.

Vegeta jerked away after a few more shakes, eyes wide and breath coming in gasps. After a frantically looking around for several moments, his vision cleared and he was able to catch sight of Bardock. Calming down immediately, he sank against the leather of the seats with an anguished sigh.

"Will they ever stop?" he asked in a voice that held little hope. The nightmares, further fueled by the fear that a certain enraged Changeling would track them down, only grew worse as time wore on. His slumber held little rest and he felt as if the fatigue was causing his skills to suffer. Something had to be done soon or he would be useless as the leader of his people.

Bardock stood and motioned for him to follow, deciding that it would be better if they could talk without eavesdroppers. "I used to have nightmares as a kid, Vegeta," he said as they walked down the street towards the sea. The lamps cast pale splashes of circular light onto the sidewalk, lighting their way easily. The shops were all closed up tight on the street and only the pedestrians were tourists. "My father was like most Saiya-jin, cold and cruel. There was no love lost between us when he died. Anyway, I used to wake up in the middle of the night relieved that father wasn't beating me. He did it for the smallest reasons until it got so bad that it happened even in my dreams."

Vegeta looked up at him in sympathy. "Does it still?"

"One day I woke up and realized that they were only memories and couldn't hurt me. Until you can understand that and move on, they will haunt you."

They reached the marina and sat down on the weathered wood of the dock. The lights from the few boats still out bounced on the water as small waves disturbed their reflections. It was quiet and peaceful, a perfect place to have a serious and uninterrupted conversation. After a extended moment of though, Vegeta ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

"I can't just forget them! Papa, you don't know how much it hurt and how humiliated I felt." He looked down at the feet dangling above the dark water. "I will never forget it."

Bardock placed a gentle hand upon his shoulder. "You shouldn't forget. The mistakes of others often teach us valuable lessons. There will come a day when you discover that the past no longer has any power over you, when you are able to think back without fear."

"I hope so," he said softly. "Papa? Thanks."

They turned away from the water and headed back to the celebration.

  
Furiza walked through the halls as if he owned the place -- which, of course, he did. There was much to be said about his good mood, most of it had been attributed to the fact that Elinas and his crew were now floating in millions of microscopic pieces in space among the wreckage of their ship. It had felt good to dissect one of his sworn enemies and soon the floors would run red with the blood of dozens more. "Ah," he smiled happily to himself, "life is good." 

The door was suddenly in front of him and his hands tingled in anticipation. No sound came from the medium-sized cell so the tyrant assumed that his captives were asleep. '_Imagine the looks on their faces when I go in!_' He pressed the code into the electronic pad and grinned as the door slid open without a sound.

The gleeful expression vanished as quickly it had appeared. The cell was empty, completely empty. Furiza examined every nook and cranny in a daze, trying to fathom an escape from a locked room. There was no way in the universe they could have gotten away without help.

"WHO DID THIS?!" he roared, temper flaring. The small Changeling fairly stomped down the hallway to the largest of all the cells. Furiza knew what he would find, but deep down there was still a small kernel of hope. Maybe the Saiya-jin were still trapped inside, maybe the hours of joyous torture could still be savaged. When the door slid aside, a red haze of rage covered his sight. Whoever had the audacity to ruin his fun would be found.

And they would pay dearly.

  
Zaabon returned from training about half an hour after the time of Furiza's discovery. Whenever his lord decided to make a visit to his father and older brother, he always chose to stay on board. He disliked the other two Changelings even more than he did Furiza and that was saying a lot. 

"Oh, Zaabon," Dodoria said in a sing-song tone that made the taller aide's skin crawl. He smirked as he exited the inner sanctum. "Lord Furiza would like to have a word with you."

His heart began to hammer wildly in his chest. '_Did he-?_' "Lord Furiza," he said as he kneeled. He couldn't allow his imagination to run wild, it would give him a panic attack. "You wished to see me?"

"It has come to my attention that my beloved pets have all run away." This was said in a very calm voice that Zaabon knew would change. "Do you know why that happened?"

Eyes wide with terror, the aide stared at Furiza's lazily moving tail. He had seen men brutally impaled by the hard tip, watched the light die from their eyes as they lay slumped over the appendage. Taking a deep breath so that no stutter would pass through his lips, Zaabon answered. "I was not aware that the Saiya-jin had vanished, my lord. Please excuse my oversight, it will never happen again."

The hover chair turned in a tight circle and beads of sweat popped out onto Zaabon's body. He recognized the expression on Furiza's face, nothing good ever came from it. "You should know that lying to me isn't the wisest course of action, Zaabon." His fingertips with their sharp black nails came to a point over his lap. "The Saiya-jin have been missing for exactly twenty-one hours and thirty minutes. Two meals have been served since then, my dear aide, and you were in charge of feeding them." His small hands moved to the arms of his hover chair and he pushed himself forward as if to rise. Zaabon took two stumbling steps backward and wondered if he could make it to the door before the Changeling could fully stand.

He didn't think so but it was worth a shot. Stepping backward as fast as he could, he grabbed for the doorknob and was surprised to feel it in his hand. Zaabon turned it, eyes still staring at Furiza, and stumbled backward through it. He escaped! There was no time to question why, he had to put distance between himself and the menace.

'_Oh God oh God oh God..._' Words streamed rapidly through his mind as he darted the long way to his quarters. He knew that it was probably suicidal to enter a room with only one exit, but the few things he had managed to salvage from his home planet were there. Under no circumstances was he going to allow them to stay behind. They were all he had left to remember of a peaceful, happy life.

Stuffing his meager possessions into a cloth bag, his next stop was the hangar. There were still a few single person pods there and he knew how to ready one for flight in just a few minutes. As he initiated the start-up sequence, he wondered why Furiza hadn't found him yet. It wasn't as if he was stupid -- the tyrant knew that he was going to attempt an escape. So he was either part of a plan or Furiza had become incredibly dense in just a few minutes.

Guess which one he was betting on.

Even though Zaabon had a feeling that his lord was allowing him to escape, he couldn't stay on the planet. Furiza may not execute him as a traitor, but that did not mean King Kold or Koola would follow suit. He'd rather not risk death at all, thank-you-very-much.

He typed in the memorized coordinates for a certain blue planet in a distant solar system and settled into his seat. There were several life support functions in addition to the oxygen that would keep him alive. First, he would find a planet or a space station to purchase additional supplies from and then he would head out on a direct course to his new home.

"You're clear for take-off, Zaabon," a voice crackled from the loudspeaker. "Hatch opening in five, four, three, two-"

A conveyor moved the small pod between the two tight doors of the airlock. With a hiss, the air was depressurized and the second door opened to admit him into space.

'_I can't believe that I'm finally getting away from there._' He pressed a trembling hand to the small viewport window. '_Thank God._'


	19. Little Child Found: Chapter 9

**Age of the Empire**

**_The First Tale of Shukumei: Ghosts From the Past_   
Chapter 9**

Vegeta alternated taking bites of his mediocre meal with reading paragraphs of text. Several sheets of paper were spread across a corner table in the mess hall. They were the notes from an earlier meeting and the requests from various Saiya-jin both on and off the ship. Very few things related to the old empire had been saved so it was necessary that they create a government from scratch.

In three days he had attended six meetings, most of them had something to do with governing the people. Personally, he felt that they actually needed laws before assigning people to enforce them, but the Elder Ones saw things just a little bit differently. He knew that it was important to listen to those who had lived long lives underneath the old rule, but that didn't stop him from wanting to knock a few hard heads together.

"I should have known that you would be doing this," Bardock said as he cleared a spot on the table large enough for his tray. He shook his head at the paperwork and tried to imagine himself spending hours on it. He couldn't. "You know that I'll help you in any way, but if you ask me to look over papers I will be forced to hurt you."

The king chuckled. "I'm not cruel enough to make anyone do this." At his papa's raised eyebrow look he amended his statement. "Usually."

"Excuse me, sir," said a small voice at his elbow. Vegeta started and looked behind himself only to find empty space. Confused, he looked down and found the small eyes of a little girl staring back at him.

"Did you need something?" he asked, more than a little wary. Children were out of his league and, despite having been one once upon a time, he had no idea what to do with them. Luckily there were very few of the little rugrats running around the ship.

She held up a rather decrepit teddy bear whose body parts looked ready to fall off. "Mommy said that you make things better."

"Oh really?" he looked at her stuffed animal. "Is something wrong with him?"

"His name's Boo-Boo and he needs a doctor. Can you help him please, sir?"

'_What makes her think that I can fix a stuffed animal?_' He was fully aware of a very entertained Bardock watching his every move. '_No matter what I do, I'm going to make a fool out of myself. Damn it._' "What's your name?"

"Kyuuri," she answered.

"Give me your bear, Kyuuri, and I'll take care of him."

She smiled and handed him over. "You are a good man just like my mommy said." Kyuuri suddenly hugged him, surprising both the king and Bardock, and skipped away.

"Are you going to take him into surgery, Dr. Vegeta?" he asked with a laugh. "You don't even know how to sew."

"Do you?" he asked. "For some odd reason I don't want to let that little girl down."

Bardock grinned even wider. "Why, Vegeta, I do think you're becoming nice!"

"Don't say that!" he exclaimed. "It'll make me look weak."

The expression on his face changed faster than Vegeta could even blink. Bardock leaned in closer and motioned for him to do the same. "Listen Vegeta, there is no shame in showing a little compassion and kindness. By doing so you cut down on assassination attempts, riots, and revolutions. It's smart leadership."

"Okay, Bardock, but someone's going to have to teach me how to sew. I've never wanted to learn women's work."

"You cook, don't you?"

"That's only because it keeps me alive. If I didn't need food, I wouldn't go near a kitchen."

Bardock grabbed the sleeve of his shirt and shook it. "You wear clothes, don't you? They're the most basic form of shelter, boy. Without them you would be exposed to the elements and would eventually die. Knowing how to sew can also keep you alive if you have to stitch up a wound to stop yourself from bleeding to death."

"I've never looked at it that way," he said, appropriately chastised.

"You got a meeting later?" he asked while briefly scanning a document. Vegeta gratefully allowed the subject to be changed. "Need any help with it?"

Vegeta finished off his meal and gathered his things. "We have to decide what to do once we land on Chikyuu. Do we go in as invaders and hope for the best or do we try to negotiate with the people for land? I don't have any alternate choices."

"We need to know more about that planet before we can make a decision. Does anyone have any data on it?" Bardock grabbed the nearest Saiya-jin. "Get all the available data on Chikyuu and bring it down to the conference room."

"Yes, sir," he saluted and marched off.

"If we do negotiate, what will we give them in return?" Bardock continued. "Protection from outside invaders can be offered, but what if someone attacks that's just as strong as we are and has three times as many people?"

"There have to be strong defenders on Chikyuu or it wouldn't have existed this long."

"We're assuming that they're strong people, Vegeta, and that they've had contact with extraterrestrials in the past. What if they're as weak as one of our newborns?"

Vegeta thought about that for a moment and sighed. "This is why I need your suggestions, Papa. So far there isn't a good solution to our problem."

"We could just ask them for help, you know. That's a third option."

"And be indebted to them forever?" Vegeta snorted. "You've got to be kidding."

Bardock said nothing. He had known the response to his suggestion before he'd even spoke the words. Vegeta's pride would not allow him to ask for help even though it could mean the death of them all.

Those who attended the meeting all had an important purpose for being there. The seven men sat around the table, with Vegeta at its head, and turned serious eyes toward their king. After shuffling his papers for a moment and mentally preparing himself, he began.

"By now I'm sure that you all know our dilemma. What should we do when we land on Chikyuu? It's not an easy question to answer. Invasion seems to be the method everyone finds the most acceptable. Taking their land and their resources by force will show that we are the superior race. That isn't a smart option, however." He locked eyes with each and every man. "Based on the data I've been able to obtain, they greatly outnumber us; approximately ten million to one." He smiled grimly at their gasps of surprise. "Even if we factor in that one Saiya-jin could probably kill ten humans easily, there are still too many remaining."

"So what do we do, sire?" Elder Panpukin asked.

"There are two other options. We can go and negotiate for land and resources," he received a few approving nods, "or we can ask for them." Silence. '_I knew that last one wouldn't go over well,_' he sighed to himself. '_As much as I hate to admit it, that may be our only choice._'

Retasu, a lieutenant in the former Saiya-jin army, frowned. "Let me test my understanding," he said slowly. "Our only good options are to negotiate with things that we don't have or go in begging for help?"

"Begging is too strong of a word," Vegeta told him. "Asking is the correct term. We can do without a city if we must. Some of our people chose to live directly from the land long ago in nomadic tribes with no true home. If there is no other choice we still have something to fall back upon."

"Is that a fourth option?" the elder asked with mixed feelings. On one hand he felt that Saiya-jin should never rely on another race for survival, on the other he didn't think his weary bones could take so much walking around. And with the ever-present threat of human attack, they could never be truly secure in any place.

"Should it be?" Vegeta asked, truly wondering. For the first time since receiving the Right of Caste from his father, he felt that it took the opinion of many to form a good decision. After all, wasn't it affecting everyone? "Whatever we decide, we must put it to a vote among the other Saiya-jin. It's their future as well."

That drew a silence so pregnant with disbelief that, for a moment, Vegeta regretted his words. The feeling lasted only for a few seconds and it left him feeling defiant. "What are you saying?" Elder Oshinko asked, face red with anger. "Should we throw out several millennia of traditions just because a young, know-nothing king suggests that we should?!"

Vegeta's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I've suggested nothing. I am king here!" He stood up and leaned forward, bracing his arms on the table. Lowering his voice, he spoke with finality. "So shall it be written, so shall it be done."

Afterward, when all the men had departed in various states of unrest, Bardock approached the king. The two of them stood silently for a moment, each consumed with their own thoughts, until Bardock felt that he had the best words chosen. "Going this route with the government has a chance of working. Our people have been shown that the old ways no longer work, but still need convincing that the new ways are better. You're young and the elders may not listen, yet what you say makes a lot of sense."

"I am still king, Papa. My word is law."

"If you want to have people vote about things, your word is no longer final. Think about that for a little while." He briefly clasped his shoulder and left the room.

He took his advice and sat down to think. Could he give up the ultimate power of a king and be satisfied with the power of a lesser ruler? Could he handle a majority ruling on a decision if it was one he would not have made? Would the Saiya-jin themselves even go for this type of democratic government? Vegeta thought about it long and hard. The class system of old Planet Vegeta was still what most people based personal worth on. The third class would not be considered equal to the first class in any way, yet they were all of the same race. Would the three classes of Saiya-jin work together to make society a better place for them all?

'_Saiya-jin just aren't capable of equality,_' Vegeta said to himself. '_We prey upon those of a lower class because they are weaker than us in power. It wouldn't matter that they're strong in other ways. The old governmental beliefs are just too ingrained within us all._' It couldn't work, Vegeta realized, the others wouldn't allow it.

However, in his heart, Vegeta knew that he was doing the right thing. Convincing others of that could be a problem, unfortunately. Bardock was the one he usually went to for help, the only person he could trust. This time, though, he felt that he had to solve the problem entirely on his own.

  
Why does someone who is obviously not of his family get special privileges from his father? When they were all captives on Furiza's ship he hadn't even been noticed. Standing behind the crowd of Saiya-jin in the cell, he quietly observed a positive relationship that had never been present between Bardock and himself. How had a short ass prince become that close to his father? Raditzu had memories of a cold-hearted fighter who'd never spent time with his son. That was how Saiya-jin relationships were supposed to be; it was how they'd always been. 

Now it seemed that things were changing. It could be argued that the true change had begun when the former king allied himself with Furiza. Certainly that was when they'd started sending infants off to distant worlds. Yet the destruction of Planet Vegeta also marked the beginning of change. The Saiya-jin had to adjust to being without a home and to wandering aimlessly through space.

Raditzu, at first, had resented his father. After all, Bardock had boarded a ship with the prince instead of his own son. Years passed, his heart filled with hate, and suddenly he missed him. Missed the sparring they used to do, missed the guidance -- he even missed the harsh words! He didn't know how to repair their relationship, but Vegeta's new inheritance of rule suddenly made all things possible. Here was a chance to deviate from the accepted Saiya-jin social behavior and love his father. The king was doing it, why shouldn't he?

"What are you thinking about?" asked Houren, Raditzu's best friend. He had known him for as long as he could remember and, although most Saiya-jin could never claim friendship with anyone, they'd grown close. "Your face went from pissed to thoughtful very quickly."

"I was thinking about my father and how Vegeta's stolen his attention." Fists clenching, he felt anger rise within him once more. "Why is Bardock being so kind to him? He's not even his flesh and blood!"

Houren shook his head at his friend's irrationality. "Bardock's spent seventeen years around Vegeta and only eight around you. He doesn't even know anything about you anymore. Family ties aren't determined by blood alone."

"It's still not right, Hou. Vegeta isn't his son!" The fists came down hard onto the table and then his hands opened. "When he sees my little brother again, will they also be closer than he and I?"

"You and Bardock have never been close. Why is that bothering you all of a sudden?"

Raditzu thought about it and could not come up with an answer. "I've never needed attention from anyone before."

"I'm going to tell you what's going on. You really could care less about Bardock noticing you, but you also can't stand the thought of someone else getting his attention. It's like you don't know what you have until it's gone."

Unable to sit any longer, Raditzu began to pace the room. "What do I have to do to stop feeling this way?"

"Accept the fact that your father is a weird Saiya-jin and actually cares about people." He grinned. "Actually, I don't have a clue. That's something you're going to have to figure out on your own."

"Some help you are," he grumbled even though he knew that Houren was telling the truth.

The sound of many feet running down the hallway made the two young Saiya-jin tense up. "What the hell is going on out there?" Houren asked loudly.

One woman paused in the doorway and rolled her eyes. "King Vegeta has an announcement and those idiots are acting as if he's dying or something."

"Vegeta!" Raditzu spat out like a curse. "Little bastard."

"Hey, if he hears you talk about him like that you're probably gonna get the shit beat out of you. Look what happened to Sukatshu and he only said something about Bardock!" She shook her head. "You're walking on dangerous ground, kid."

Growling, he left the bedroom he shared with Houren. "I don't care if the ground is littered with broken glass, he is what he is."

"Rad, she's right. You talk about him that way when people can overhear, the consequences are gonna be bad."

Glaring at him, he stalked down the hallway. "You say that like I give a damn."

Houren knew that nothing good could come from his attitude. If Raditzu didn't tone it down, eventually the king was going to find out.

And then there would be hell to pay.


	20. Little Child Found: Chapter 10

**Age of the Empire**

**The Second Tale of Shukumei: Little Child Found**

**Chapter 10**

The hospital wasn't very crowded, but there were several people ahead of him. Goku tried all he could to convince the receptionist to allow him to cut in the line; absolutely nothing worked. He sat down in a chair, defeated, and tried to entertain himself by watching the other occupants of the room.

One woman caught his attention almost immediately. She was petite with short red hair and was being dwarfed by a very large dog that sat by her feet. The dog looked rather healthy for having been taken to an animal hospital.

"He looks fine," Goku commented to the woman. "What's wrong with your dog?"

"He hasn't been the same since I had him fixed last month. I thought that he would just bounce back, but no such luck."

"Fixed" was a word he'd never heard used in the context she'd used it in. "What do you mean by 'fixed'?"

"The doctor removed Zenko's testicles so that he couldn't get another dog pregnant." Goku winced in sympathy at the mere thought. If *he* had been mutilated like that, he would be depressed too! "This hospital has a very excellent animal psychologist... or so I hear. My friend had his cat neutered a few years ago and said that Doctor Amigawa had Jepi acting like his old self again in no time." She looked down for the very first time at his reason for being there. "So, what's wrong with your... wolf?"

"Gunshot wound," he answered. "She was attacked by evil people." He reached down and stroked her head softly. "I'm glad I found her in time."

An hour later it was finally his turn. Goku gently lifted his mother from the floor and carried her into an examination room. Doctor Masoni untied the cloth around her leg as soon as she was on the cold metal table and took a moment to assess the damage done.

"I can see it gleaming in the light. It's not in very deep at all." He moved over to a counter and began opening cabinets. "I will administer a local anesthetic to her, remove the bullet, and sew her up. You can stay with her if you wish."

"Okay." Goku moved around the table to reassure the wolf as the vet prepared the numbing drug. When he saw the needle, he lost all color in his face, but didn't make a sound.

The doctor noticed. "Are you alright?"

"I will be," he said after a hard swallow. "I don't like needles, but I'm okay if you don't come near me."

The doctor injected the drug and waited a short while to give it time to take effect. Then he opened a package of sterilized tweezers, grabbed a fresh cotton ball, and got to work.

Five minutes later Goku was filling out forms. Everything was fine and his mother was free to leave. There would be some pain for a few weeks, and he would have to bring her back to remove the stitches, but she would heal just fine.

"You look pretty funny with that bald patch on your leg," he smiled, relieved that she would live. Goku's good humor lasted right up until he saw the bill for services rendered. "Um, I can't pay this."

The receptionist sighed. "Can you pay at a later date?"

"Maybe; I don't know."

She sighed again.

Eventually, he made plans to send a little money each month until the debt was paid.

***

He'd entertained passing thoughts on the subject, but it was Gohan who caused him to see for himself. What did his mother and his brother think about? What did they feel when they gazed upon his small family? What did they feel about him? While not worded exactly that way, Gohan's innocent question sparked an idea in his mind.

"When I talk to 'em, they don't talk back. Why, Tousan?"

Why, indeed? There was no real reason why they could not communication with each other, not anymore anyway. With the dragonballs, one could virtually have anything his heart desired. "Guess what, Gohan?" Bright, curious eyes stared up at him. "We're going on a trip!"

"YAY!"

In theory, nothing at all could go wrong with a simple trip around the word to collect small orange spheres. But Goku knew that the chance of it being a walk in the park was nil. He had never told his wife in detail about the trip he and Buruma had taken what felt like ages ago. If she knew how potentially dangerous it could be, not only would she forbid Gohan from going but him as well.

"Tousan, where we going?" 

He didn't know how to explain it to him in a way that he would understand. Goku touched the four-star ball atop Gohan's hat. "Do you remember when I told you the story about jiisan's dragonball?"

"Uh huh."

"Well, we're going to find the other six just like this one and make a wish."

Gohan's brow furrowed as he thought. "We make wish that baasan and jisan can talk?" He had to admit that his son was a lot smarter than he gave him credit for.

"Hai."

"Good!" He grabbed his father's hand and tried to drag him out of the house. "We go now!"

Laughing, he said, "It's not that easy, son. First I have to tell your mother that we're leaving." He frowned at the mere thought of doing so. ChiChi wouldn't be happy that they were leaving again so soon -- especially on a trip with an unknown return date. "Then I have to make sure that jisan and baasan will be okay until we get back."

" 'kay," he said before running off to his room.

ChiChi was in the kitchen washing the dishes from lunch. She smiled as her husband entered, but it quickly turned into a frown when she noticed the nervous look on his face. "What did you do?"

"Huh?" he blinked, startled. "Oh, um, nothing."

She sighed, not liking the fact that she sometimes had to prod him for answers. "What do you want?"

"There's something that Gohan and I need to do." Goku fell silent, unsure of the best way to proceed. He didn't think anything he could possibly say would curb her anger. Eventually, he realized that the best thing to do was to continue onward. Delaying the inevitable was being met with a very negative response. "We're going to find the dragonballs." He tensed up for the explosion that never came. Apparently, his wife had no idea what a dragonball was.

"How long will it take?" she asked, calmly returning to her dishwashing.

"I don't know."

"I see." She placed a plate into the rack to dry, her hand gripping it so tightly that her knuckles were white and fine cracks were beginning to crawl across the surface. Goku gulped and beat a hasty retreat.

Thirty minutes later he and Gohan were flying on Kinto'un to Buruma's home. She had the only dragonball radar in existence and, besides that, he still hadn't returned her navigation device. Before showing up at the Capsule Corporation the day before, he hadn't seen her in two years. There was definitely a lot he needed to catch up on.

"Konnichi-wa, Son-kun," his friend said brightly as she opened the door of her bedroom. Her mother had remembered him and told him to go on up. "Nice to see you in the daytime. Is your mother okay?"

"Hai, she's fine. I came over to give this back to you and borrow the radar. Gohan and I want to make a wish."

It was then that Buruma noticed the boy shyly peeking around his father's right leg. "He's adorable! Are you baby-sitting?"

"Buruma Briefs meet Son Gohan. Gohan, this is my friend, Buruma."

Remembering his manners, the boy bowed respectfully. "Ko'ichi-wa, B'uma-san."

"He's your son," she said in a stunned voice. "You and ChiChi's son. I wasn't even sure you even knew *how* to create a child!"

Goku blushed crimson. "Let's just say that I learn pretty quickly."

"So I see." She invited them both to take a seat while she looked for the radar. "Have you spoken to Kuririn lately?"

He sighed. "Iie. I haven't seen him since the wedding. He knows where I am, but I don't know how to find him."

"I bet that he's still on Roshi's island. He used to live in a monastery, right? The hentai's house is the only place he has to go." She handed him the circular radar. "How has ChiChi been?"

"Same as always," he answered, wondering if he should tell her more. No one knew how he really felt about his marriage and, if he had his way, no one ever would.

But Buruma had been his friend for many years and noticed the look of abject misery that briefly flashed across his face. She did not comment on it in front of Gohan and merely stared at him in concern instead.

Father and son went on their way nearly an hour later. The two adults had relived old times and promised to get together with everyone sometime soon. Buruma suggested that the reunion be at the Capsule Corporation since everyone knew where it was and said that she would start on the planning.

Goku thought of seeing his friends again and smiled. He couldn't wait until next month.

***

"ChiChi, you've never ridden Kinto'un without me before. Are you sure we can't just drive?"

"I'll be fine, alright? Flying will be faster." What she didn't say was that the faster she arrived, the faster she could leave. ChiChi wasn't looking very forward to spending time with people who spoke of things she'd never experienced. They were Goku's friends and she wasn't very close to them.

He nodded and placed Gohan in front of her. "Be good for Kaasan."

"Otay."

The only thing left to do before departure was to talk with his mother. "Are you sure you know the way?" he asked, worried that she would get lost.

"We'll be fine, Goku." Humor sparkled in her dark eyes. "You worry far too much."

Ever since he'd made the wish that he and Gohan could hold conversations with the wolves, he'd noticed many tiny things about them. Their eyes held expressions just as clearly as any human's did and he could read them just as well as he could read ChiChi's. "I want you to be around for a very long time, Okaasan."

"I can protect her," his brother, Takanori, told him. "You know that I can."

"Come on, Goku-sa!" ChiChi ordered. Listening to what sounded like growling, barks, whines, and howls always made her nervous. No matter what they meant to her husband, she could never forget that they were wild animals.

"I'll see you there. Stay away from the people because they'll be afraid." He hugged them both briefly and flew off behind Kinto'un. After not flying under his own power for so long, he'd nearly forgotten what it felt like to have the wind rushing over his body and the complete freedom of movement. It made him feel like a kid again.

The Capsule Corporation came into view far too soon. People down on the ground were looking up in awe, small children waving excitedly to the figures far above. It was the middle of the afternoon and so many people were outside enjoying the sun in Western Capital.

Everyone else had already arrived and were setting up for a barbecue in the dinotorium. Two picnic tables were covered in red-and-white checked table cloths and Yamucha was behind the grill wearing a white apron that had a picture of an invitation on it that read, "To: the ladies, From: the cook. Kiss me." Goku laughed after he read it, but ChiChi didn't find anything amusing.

"Konnichi-wa, minna," he greeted. "Long time no see."

"Goku!" Yamucha saluted with his spatula. "You look so mature it's amazing!"

He nodded in agreement. The Goku of fifteen years old in his wedding picture looked a lot younger than the Goku of seventeen years. He wondered if living with ChiChi had anything to do with how much he'd visually aged. "I feel more mature." Gently, he pushed Gohan (who was once again hiding behind his body) forward. "This is my son, Gohan. He's three."

Kuririn crouched down to Gohan's level. "He looks just like you. I'm your tousan's best-friend, Kuririn."

Bowing, he said, "Ko'ichi-wa, Kuwe'in-san. Ko'ichi-wa, mi'a-san."

"He's just so precious!" Buruma exclaimed.

His proud parents beamed. "Arigatou."

The party had time to get into full swing before something went wrong. In the middle of his meal, Goku noticed something on the edge of his senses that immediately caused his body to grow taut. The other fighters noticed and they each extended their senses to the world around them.

"How many?" Yamucha asked Goku since everyone knew that he was the most aware of them all.

"At least fifty. Some are stronger than others." Goku felt his blood began to stir at the mere thought of a battle. He sensed at least one ki in the group that rivaled his own.

"You look.... excited."

Declining to comment on something so blatantly obvious to anyone with sight, he instead started to devise a plan. "They outnumber us ten-to-one so we can't just attack them and get away with it."

"Correction: now the odds are around nine-to-one."

In one collective movement, everyone present turned in the direction of the new voice. Goku's eyebrows rose when he recognized the very tall, green and pink form of Piccolo Daimou. The last time he'd seen him, the demon king had been trying to take revenge for the death of his father by ending his life. "Why do you even care?" he asked. "Saving the world would be a nice thing to do. I didn't think you'd be interested in something like that."

Piccolo glared at the young man. "This planet is too important to be destroyed by alien invaders. One day it will be mine."

"Sure, whatever." He stood and stretched, staring longingly at the remainder of his food for just a moment. "C'mon, we gotta save the world."

ChiChi put her foot down. Literally. "Wait one second, Goku! Where do you think you're going?!"

"To save the world," he repeated patiently as if his wife was hard of hearing.... or had some sort of mental problem.

"I heard you the first time!"

"Then what's the problem?" Buruma asked her. "If they don't do it then we're all probably going to die."

She absolutely hated not being in complete control of everything. "Go on," ChiChi mumbled. "Come back soon."

"I will. Ai shiteru, ChiChi." He kissed her on the forehead. A tug on his pant leg made him look down at the teary face of his son.

"Tousan no go!"

"I have to, Gohan," he replied as he crouched down. "Kaasan will take good care of you."

Sniffling, he buried his face into his father's chest. "You come back?" he asked, voice muffled.

"Of course I will. Don't worry." He kissed the top of his head and handed him to his mother. "If I'm not back before you go to sleep, I will be in the morning. I love you, Gohan."

"Otay. Wuv you, too."

Goku motioned to his friends and Piccolo. It was time to go.

They flew to the place where Goku led them. He knew that the group of _ki_s were heading down to Chikyuu several miles away from the eastern boundary of western capital -- they felt that far away. Other than the energy reading, he knew nothing about the newcomers. What would they look like? How would they behave? Were they even hostile at all? Maybe he was making a terrible mistake by showing such an open display of aggression. But, then again, maybe he *was* doing the best thing after all. Well, if nothing horrible happened they all could have a good laugh about it afterward.

The sun shone down on them mercilessly as the small group flew over a fairly large forest. Several minutes ago they'd clearly seen the shapes of four ships descend from space and land on the ground. Now, the gap was rapidly being closed and Goku still had no plan.

"I think we should try to talk with them, first," Kuririn shouted above the wind. "You said yourself that there's no way we can defeat them all."

"Anyone else with an idea?" he asked them. Piccolo was all for forcing them physically from his future kingdom, but the rest sided with Kuririn. Goku had to admit that it made sense. "Alright, we'll see why they're here. If it's a bad reason, then we'll have to fight them."

Kuririn gulped and began to pray. "Kami, please let them be here for a good reason. I'm only eighteen years old; far too young to die. My life hasn't even begun yet!"

Whatever happened, Goku had faith that they would all try their best and that was all he could hope for.

**~OWARI~**

To be continued in part three.


End file.
